The Last Days
by UVBlueBerns
Summary: Two groups of people in a godforsaken land. Follow them as they fight for their survival, and the survival of mankind in The Last Days. Rated T for language, blood, gore, etc...
1. Chapter 1

First off I would like to thank _Gothgoddessrhia _and _ImNotGivingMyNameToAMachine, _both of whom have inspired me to try and write my own zombie fic. One of my favorite stories I have ever read since I found this site is _Gothgoddess' _story 'As The World Dies'. It is truly an incredible piece of artwork.

**The Last Days**

_**Disclaimer: I own the rights to all the characters in this story.**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_Screams. Blood. Gunfire. People dying all around him. He can hear gunfire coming closer. Fear. Fear is the only thing he feels. It is the only thing registering in his mind. He looks up from where he is crouched and see's them running at him, screaming. He has no choice but to fire. He hears the people around him panicking, getting up to run away, only to be cut down. This is a time he will never forget. The year is 2004. The War on Terror is nearing its peak. The Iraqi's are drawing closer to his position. He must keep firing. Keep firing to ensure his safety. Closer they came, closer, closer…._

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**6:15 am**_

_**Ettrick, Virginia**_

Jason Alexander jolted upright from his nightmare, drenched in sweat. It had been four years since that day, and every day he regretted being there. The war was horrible. His saw some of his closest friends cut down around him as they tried to get re-enforcements. Jason's squad had been ambushed while on escort detail. Corporal Taylor was the first one hit. The first shot caught him in the right hip, while the second went through his throat. He had bled to death very soon after.

Staff Sergeant Samuels was next. He took a shot to the head. After that it was complete chaos. The Iraqis were everywhere. Jason must have killed a dozen before re-enforcements arrived. All that were left of the squad were Jason, Private Miller, Private Johnson, Private Springs, Corporal Doakes, and Lance Corporal Meyburn. Of a squad of sixteen men, only six survived. Private Miller took shots to the left shoulder and abdomen. Private Johnson suffered a severe concussion and multiple skull fractures from a grenade. Private Springs, who was near Johnson when the grenade went off, had shrapnel in his right leg and a concussion. Corporal Doakes and Lance Corporal Meyburn managed to come out with cuts that required stitched and shrapnel injuries. Jason took a bullet through his left leg and a minor concussion from the concussive blast of the grenade.

'_It's all in the past now.' _Jason thought. He stood up to his full six foot six inch frame and headed to the bathroom to get some water. Jason filled up a large glass full of water and took a long, deep drink. When he was done he washed out the glass and put it away. He glanced up at the mirror hanging above the sink and saw a pair of piercing, light blue eyes staring back at him. He yawned and ran a hand through his thick black hair and headed back to bed to try and get a couple more hours of sleep.

As he lay down beneath the covers of his bed he could still hear the screams and gunfire. He sighed. _'There is nothing I can do about it now. Maybe I _should_ go see that shrink Doakes suggested.' _He sighed again as he heard more screams and gunfire. His eyes shot open. The shots seemed to be coming from outside. _'What the hell is going on out there? Another gang shoot out maybe?'_ As he stood up he heard a crash come from the shop downstairs.

"Oh hell no. Those punks aren't getting anything from my shop again." Jason muttered to himself. He threw on a crimson tank top, black jeans, and black sneakers and went to the front door grabbing his Remington 1100 from his gun safe in his hallway closet. He double checked for ammo before cocking it and heading out the door and down the stairs.

He quietly opened the door to his office and walked in. He swung his gun around, looking around the room and not seeing anyone. He walked briskly to the door that led to the shops garage. He glanced around the room not seeing anyone. He lowered his gun. _'Little shits must have left already.' _Then there was a crash from across the garage. Jason immediately has his shotgun raised and trained on the area the noise came from. As he walked over, he smelled rotting flesh and blood. _'God what is that smell?'_ He thought.

"Alright you little punks, come out or I'm gonna call the cops." Jason said loudly.

_CRASH! _Jason spun around, bringing his shotgun to bear. A man, probably in his mid 20's dressed in baggy pants and a bloody tank top was snarling as he ran at Jason.

"Stop or I will shoot!" Jason yelled at him. The man just kept running and snarling.

_BOOM! _The sound of the Remington echoed throughout the garage as the mans head disintegrated into blood, brains, and bone. _'Oh I am so fucked now.' _Jason though. He groaned at the thought of what was to come. _'I'll be arrested for first or second degree murder. Shit.'_ He thought as he walked over to the corpse. As he did the smell of rotting flesh became stronger.

"God that stinks!" Jason exclaimed covering his nose. He walked over to the light switch and flipped it on. "Holy shit…" He got a good look at the mans body. The man was missing his head from the jaw up. But that wasn't all, he had his throat ripped out, there were many chunks missing from his arms and legs, and he had a gaping hole in his chest and was missing many organs.

"Holy shit…" Jason said again. "There is no way; absolutely _no way_ I did that. This gun is strong, but not _that_ strong!"

Suddenly there was more snarling behind him and he could hear the sound of feet pounding against the floor. He spun around, aimed at this new attacker, and fired. _BOOM!_ The Remington spat out another shot, blowing off the right side of the new mans head and part of his right shoulder. Jason examined the corpse of the new attacker. The dead man looked to be in his late teens and was dressed like the first. This new attacker was missing most of his right arm and had parts of his face torn off. Jason looked back and forth between the first body and the second and could only reach one conclusion.

"Why the fuck are there zombies in my garage?!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**6:35 am**_

_**Ettrick, Virginia**_

After double checking the garage for anymore signed of zombies, Jason went back up to his apartment. He walked over to his bookshelf and picked up a worn out, battered book. _'The Zombie Survival Guide' _by_ Max Brooks. _Jason smirked as he gazed that the old book.

_Flashback_

_USMC Camp Lejeune Brig, June 24__th__, 2006_

_Jason walked down the hallway of the Camp Lejeune Brig. He sentenced to one year in military prison for refusing to follow orders. It was the end of his first week and he was headed to the library to find something to read. He walked around for a while, nothing caught his interest, until he saw a small, very light green, almost tan, book. He pulled it off the shelf and looked at the title. _'The Zombie Survival Guide' _by _Max Brooks._ He chuckled as he took the book with him to his cell. Over the next 11 months and 3 weeks he read the book over and over. When he was released from the military prison, he made a request. The guards laughed as he held up the book he wanted._

"_Why do you want to take that book with you?" One guard asked with a thick southern accent "It ain't anything but a load of crap! Zombies ain't even real and they never will be!" _

_End Flashback_

'_I bet those guards are wishing they had read it at least once now. If they're alive that is.' _Jason thought as he pocketed the book. He started gathering all his food, weapons, ammo, and as much water as he could fit it bottles into the front room.

"Alright. Beretta RX4 Storm, check. M16A2, check. XM-29 OICW, check. Remington 1100" He placed the weapon with the rest "Check. LAR Grizzly, check, Beretta 87, check. M249 SAW, check. Good, all the guns."

Jason loaded all the assault rifles, the shotgun, the handguns, and his machine gun before loading all the clips and placing them in a couple standard military issue backpacks with some food, water, and clothes. "This is going to be one hell of a trip." Jason thought out loud. He grabbed some of his supplies and headed down to the garage and loaded them in the back of a red '08 Chevy Silverado. _'Good thing I finished replacing the transmission yesterday. Too bad the owners won't be using it again. Oh well.' _He thought grimly. A couple trips later he had all the supplies he could find. He let out a sharp whistle and a large German shepherd came running out of the apartment and jumped in the door and sat in passenger seat. Jason shut the door and grinned. _'If I managed to stay alive, this could be kind of fun!' _He glanced at the trucks clock. It read7:04 am.

"Dammit, an hour ago I was asleep."

He placed his RX4 Storm on his lap, started the truck, and hit the automatic door opener he brought with him. As the garage door opened, he could see three zombies feasting on a body. Blood was all around them and as they looked up, Jason could see the pieces of human flesh hanging from their jaws. They snarled and charged at the truck. Jason put the truck in drive and slammed on the gas. The Chevy lurched from its position and sped out into the street, crushing the oncoming zombies. Blood sprayed on the windshield as they were crushed.

"Shit! These things make a huge mess!" Jason cursed. Then he smirked as he scratched behind his dog's ear. "Think I'm a good enough driver to nail 'em on the side of the road, eh Trip?" Trip barked in response. "Yeah, I think I am too." Jason grinned as he sped down the road crushing another zombie.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:09 am**_

_**Ettrick, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:00 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Serafino Stanco groaned as he hit the alarm clock. He glanced at the time; it read 7:00 am. His body complained as he rolled from the bed and headed to the bathroom where he undressed and got in the shower. Hot water ran down his body as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He grabbed a bar of soap and began washing his body.

He ran his hand over his left arm, feeling the bumps of the scars the acquired while serving his country in the Air Force. He had been serving his third tour over seas in Iraq. He had been ordered to take his squad of ten men and scout out a fairly run down part of the city for hostiles.

_Flashback_

"_Hey, Colonel!" Serafino spun around._

"_Major Hampton. What brings you out to this godforsaken part of the city?" Serafino asked._

"_General Briggs sent us to cover your Air Force backsides. There's been a report of a large group of hostiles in the area." Major Hampton replied._

_Serafino groaned "Great. Let's hope that it's just a rumor."_

"_Yeah, seriously. I heard about what some of those Iraqis did to Staff Sergeant Samuels' squad a little while back. Little fucks tore the squad to bits. Only six of the squad made it out alive."_

"_Jesus Christ." Serafino exclaimed. He turned and shouted "Lt. Milliman! Tell everyone to stay sharp, there's been word of-"_

_He was cut off as bullets began flying all around them. In the first couple seconds two men were dead and five were injured. Serafino and Hampton dove to the right, behind a section of fallen was and began to return fire. Iraqis began appearing in every window, alleyway, and street. Serafino glanced to his left in time to see Lt. Milliman fall to the ground after taking several shots to the chest._

"_Shit! They just killed Milliman!" Serafino yelled to Hampton "Hampton, we need to retreat now, you hear me? We need to go _now_! Hampton? Hampton!" _

_He looked to the right and saw Major Hampton holding a bloodied hand to his chest._

"_Sorry Colonel. Damn bugger got me." Hampton gritted his teeth in pain "'Raf, tell Krista I'm sorry and I love her and the kids." He said with tear filled eyes._

_Serafino put his hand to the side of Hampton's head and said "Don't you think like that major! You're gonna pull through this! You're going to see Krista and the kids again!"_

_Hampton shook his head and coughed up blood. "Sorry sir, but I'm not going to make it back. Promise me that you'll be the one to tell my family what happened. Tell them I love them and that I will see them again."_

"_I promise." Serafino said sadly._

_Hampton shifted his gaze to a building across the street and his eyes widened. "Sir look out!" Serafino turned but it was too late. An Iraqi soldier fired and RPG. It exploded several feet from Serafino, the blast sending him flying into the wall. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a tank barreling down the road, firing at the fleeing hostiles._

_End Flashback_

Serafino and woken up a week later in the base hospital. He had suffered first to third degree burns on his left side, multiple fractures and a break to his left leg, pelvis, and left arm, a severe concussion, and multiple skull fractures. His right side was relatively unscathed, due to his left side facing the exploding RPG.

It would be 12 to 14 months before he would be fully healed. Maybe longer, depending on how much he strained himself, and he would always walk with a limp. His superiors had given him the options of taking a desk job or retiring. He had chosen the latter. He got out of the shower and dried himself off. He put on a plain white t-shirt over a white tank top and a pair of black jeans. He walked to his kitchen where he grabbed cereal, milk, a bowl, and spoon. He sat down at the table and started eating when his phone rang.

"Hello?" Serafino asked.

"Hey 'Raf, its Don. Turn on your TV to channel 7. You have got too see this." Don said quickly.

"Why? There is never anything good on the news." Serafino said as he walked to the TV.

"Trust me; you'll want to see this." Don said.

"Alright, alright I'm going." Serafino flipped through the channels until he reached channel 7. What he saw chilled him to the bone.

"_This is Ryan Jones with K7 news. I'm live in downtown Macon, Georgia where there seems to be some sort of a riot going on." The reporter said._

"Shit that's only fifteen miles from here." Serafino swore.

"It's only a couple miles from here. I'm getting pretty freaked out man, would you mind if I head over to your place for a little while?" Don asked.

"Yeah sure, come on over."

"Thanks man. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Don hung up the phone.

Serafino put down the phone and watched in horror at what was going on just fifteen miles from his home. The police and military were shooting live rounds at the rapidly growing crowds. They didn't seem to be doing much. The people that were shot just kept running, or they would fall down, get back up and keep running. Only the ones that took shots to the head would stay down.

Serafino watched as a man, probably in his mid 40's dressed in a bloody business suit, jump the barricade that separated the reporter from the crowd. The man jumped on the reporter, ripping a chuck of flesh out of his neck, blood spurting everywhere. The man kept biting, scratching, and clawing away at the screaming reporter as they fell to the ground. The cameraman dropped his camera and Serafino could see him try and run, only to be run down by an old woman, who started tore into him, tearing of chunk after chunk of flesh. Serafino could hear the cameraman's screams as the live footage went offline.

"Dear God what are those things?" Serafino said in horror. The sight he had just witnessed stunned and sickened him. He flipped through the channels, each one showing the same result. There were riots everywhere. Seattle, Knoxville, Richmond, Atlanta, Macon, and Houston were just a few. There was only one thought running through the mind of Serafino Stanco.

'_What the hell is going on?'_

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:26 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

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"Crap!" Jason shouted as he swerved, almost hitting another car.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:14 am**_

_**Ettrick, Virginia**_

Jason turned right on River Road and slammed on the gas. He scratched Trip's ear as they sped down the road.

"Think we should try to get something to eat Trip?" Jason asked his companion. He received an energetic bark in return.

"Well, we'd better keep an eye out for those zombies." Another bark. "Yeah I think so too boy."

Jason swerved in and out of cars, watching people running away from the zombies, only to be caught, partially devoured, and then turned. He was sickened at the sight of so many people being pulled from cars, attacked on the side of the road, and being attacked in their homes. There was blood virtually everywhere he looked. A few minutes later he took a hard right on Pickett Avenue, headed right through Matoaca. His goal was to make it to Highway 460 and take it west until it connects with Highway 360 then drive west until he reached Keysville. From there he didn't really have any idea. But first he would need a few more supplies.

The Chevy's engine roared as Jason tore down the road, crushing any zombies, or innocent bystanders that got in the way. Not that me meant to hit the bystanders. _'But there are definitely worse ways to go.' _Jason thought grimly.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:31 am**_

_**Sutherland, Virginia**_

Jason slowed down cautiously as he reached a local convenience store. He couldn't see any zombies around and that unnerved him.

"Damn Trip, this shit is pretty freaky." Trip growled as Jason slowed down and pulled into the parking lot. Nothing was moving, alive or undead. Jason did a U-turn in the parking lot and, lining the truck bed up with the doors of the shop, and hit the gas, shattering the shop doors as he backed into the shop.

Jason picked up his Remington, opened the door and got out, Trip jumping out behind him.

"Alright boy, you stay here and keep an eye out." Jason grinned as Trip barked in response. "Atta boy."

Jason cocked the Remington as he looked around the shop. He heard Trip bark and a split second later he heard feet pounding on the floor behind him. He swung around, bringing his shotgun up to his shoulder and fired. _BOOM! _The shot blew off the top of the zombies head, sending it flying back into a food rack where it lay, unmoving.

'_Fuck, there's going to be more coming soon. I have to hurry.' _Jason thought. He lifted up the tunnel cover on the trucks bed, exposing the supplies he already had. He jumped behind the counter, grabbing several plastic bags, and went to find some food. He ran up and down the aisles, grabbing as much food and other supplies and stuffing them into the plastic bags. Jason ran to the fridge, grabbing as many drinks as he could carry. Five minutes later he heard Trip barking and snarling at the front of the store. He ran back to the truck, tossing the drinks into the bed and closing the cover before running to the front of the truck and firing at the incoming group of zombies.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! _The shots were deafening in such an enclosed area, but through the noise Jason could hear the bark of a Zastava M21. He saw many more zombies fall to the unknown carrier of the foreign assault rifle. When the gunshots ended, Jason glanced around the shop. Not seeing anyone he shifted his gaze to the surrounding buildings. He saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. He trained his Remington on the figures fast approaching.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! We're friendly!" A man called with a think Egyptian accent.

"Have any of you been bitten?" Jason called out.

"No, none of us have," The man replied. As he drew closer he saw an older man, probably in his early 50's, a young boy around ten years old, and a young woman who looked to be in her early 20's. The old man stood at around 6' 2". He had short, graying black hair and a short but full beard. The boy was no taller than four and a half feet and had blond hair that hung down in his eyes. The woman was taller than the average female. Standing at around 5' 8", she was very fit and had long, curly, mahogany brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a few stray strands hanging in her face. He could see light reflecting off glasses. The group ran into the shop, with the old man training his Zastava on the empty street.

The man had three rifles on his back, a Dragunov sniper rifle, a Zastava M76 sniper rifle, and an Egyptian military standard issue Rasheed carbine. The woman was carrying a standard military issue M16A2 with an attached grenade launcher, a Russian Saiga .410 shotgun, and a Sphinx 2000 handgun. The young boy had a .22 caliber rifle and an ASP handgun.

"Who are you?" Jason asked warily.

"My name is Azibo Ghazi. Call me Azi. The woman is Hannah Mauer and the boy is Malcolm Curtis." Azibo said.

(A/N: Azibo will be referred to as Azi.)

The boy looked close to tears while the young woman looked to be in an emotional shock. He looked at the young woman, Hannah, and saw that she was straining with holding the rifles and a backpack that looked to he filled with ammunition.

"Here, let me take that for you." Jason said, taking the guns and backpack from her and after opening up the cover, placing them in the back of the Chevy. Then he proceeded to take the .22 from Malcolm and place it with the rest of the guns. He looked at Azi.

"Why don't you put the rest of the guns in the back of the truck." Jason said.

"And let you run off with our only defense? No, I don't think I will." Azi said sternly. (1)

"Look, I'm not trying to steal your guns. The way I see it, the only chance we have of surviving is to stay together."

"Why would you risk your life and help three complete strangers?" Azi asked.

"I don't know. It just makes sense. You three are the only living people I've seen all morning except for the poor souls being ripped to shreds on the side of the road." Jason replied. "And besides, I have enough supplies and room in the truck for all four of us." (2)

Azibo was lost in thought. "Can I trust you?"

"Right now you have no choice." Jason said.

Trip suddenly starting barking furiously toward the street. Jason's head whipped up and he stared at the new small horde of zombies.

"What are you going to do, huh? Either you three get in the truck now or I will give you back your guns and leave you here to die." Jason said quickly, shouldering the Remington. "Choose now!"

"Quickly now! Malcolm, Hannah, get in the truck!" Azi ushered them into the truck.

"Good choice. Get in all of you!" Jason opened the door and let Trip jump in the back with Hannah and Malcolm, while Azi got in the passenger seat.

"Everyone get on your seatbelts and hold on tight. This is going to be a bumpy ride." Jason said as he turned on the Chevy and hit the gas, sending the truck flying out into the street, narrowly escaping the every growing horde.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:54 am**_

_**Sutherland, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:37 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

Serafino limped to the front door where he could hear someone pounding on it. He cocked his Mossberg 590 and looked through the peep hole in the door and saw Don holding an M77 Hawkeye .270 caliber rifle and a Winchester M1895. Don was wearing his normal cowboy boots, jeans, belt with his large rodeo belt buckle, blue button up shirt, brown leather vest, and cowboy hat. Don had bits of blood on his clothes.

"Jesus Don what happened?" Serafino said, looking over Dons appearance. He had blood on his jacket and face.

"On my way to my car a couple rioters tried to jump me. I got away though. They kept trying to bite and scratch me. They didn't look to good either. They looked dead, but they're up and running around. One woman had her throat ripped out. A man had some intestines hanging out of his gut and was missing half his left arm." Don said. He was extremely pale. He looked up at Serafino "Good God 'Raf, what's going on?"

(A/N: Serafino will be referred to as 'Raf from now on.)

"I don't know Don. There have been reports of riots like this happening all over, and it's not restricted to the United States either. There have been reports from Glasgow, Scotland, London, Paris, and places all over Europe and Asia."

"Fuck." Don swore.

"My thoughts exactly." 'Raf said

"These things look like zombies right out of a horror movie." Don said quietly. "They try and bite you, eat you. They run around with missing body parts and parts hanging out." He looked up at 'Raf and asked "Don't you have a bunch of guns from when you were in the military?"

"Yeah I do. They're in a gun safe in the garage." 'Raf said, catching on.

"Well let's go get 'em then."

'Raf and Don proceeded to the garage and emptied 'Rafs gun safe, bringing the guns and ammo to the upstairs living room.

"Hey man, what are we going to do? I mean, there are zombie-like things running around all over. What's gonna happen to us?" Don asked 'Raf.

"I dunno Don. I really don't know." 'Raf said. They jerked their heads up at the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"Are these things smart?" Don asked tentatively.

"I have no idea. Let's go check it out." "Raf said, shouldering the Mossberg 590 and limping toward the stairs. They slowly made their way to the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. 'Raf gave Don hand signals telling him that he was going to go downstairs. Don shook his head and mouthed _'Don't'_. 'Raf shook his head and began limping down the stairs. When he reached the corner of the stairs, he slowly stuck his head around the corner. As he listened, he could hear slow, rhythmic breathing. He looked up at Don and mouthed _'There's one in the house!'_

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:54 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

(1) Azi needs to be cautious. At a time like this, there definitely are people who would want to take advantage of others.

(2) Jason had read and re-read the 'The Zombie Survival Guide' enough to know that there is safety in numbers, plus it just makes sense.

This is my first attempt at a zombie fic. Please read and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

The Last Days

**The Last Days**

_**Chapter 2**_

**Last time:**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:54 am**_

_**Sutherland, Virginia**_

_Trip suddenly starting barking furiously toward the street. Jason's head whipped up and he stared at the new small horde of zombies._

"_What are you going to do, huh? Either you three get in the truck now or I will leave you here to die." Jason said quickly, shouldering the Remington. "Choose now!"_

"_Quickly now! Malcolm, Hannah, get in the truck!" Azi ushered them into the truck._

"_Good choice. Get in all of you!" Jason opened the door and let Trip jump in the back with Hannah and Malcolm, while Azi got in the passenger seat._

"_Everyone get on your seatbelts and hold on tight. This is going to be a bumpy ride." Jason said as he turned on the Chevy and hit the gas, sending the truck flying out into the street, narrowly escaping the every growing horde._

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:54 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

"_Hey man, what are we going to do? I mean, there are zombie-like things running around all over. What's gonna happen to us?" Don asked 'Raf._

"_I dunno Don. I really don't know." 'Raf said. They jerked their heads up at the sound of the front door opening and closing._

"_Are these things smart?" Don asked tentatively._

"_I have no idea. Let's go check it out." "Raf said, shouldering the Mossberg 590 and limping toward the stairs. They slowly made their way to the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. 'Raf gave Don hand signals telling him that he was going to go downstairs. Don shook his head and mouthed_ 'Don't'. _'Raf shook his head and began limping down the stairs. When he reached the corner of the stairs, he slowly stuck his head around the corner. As he listened, he could hear slow, rhythmic breathing. He looked up at Don and mouthed _'There's one in the house!'

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:11 am**_

_**Ford, Virginia**_

Malcolm Curtis looked at the other occupants of the red '08 Chevy Silverado. There was his long time neighbor Azibo Ghazi. Malcolm had known him for as long as he could remember. Azi and Malcolm's dad had been close friends. Malcolm looked at the seat across from him. There sat Hannah. She had been his babysitter for five years. He looked at the driver of the truck. The man had introduced himself as Jason Alexander, and his dog was Trip. Malcolm liked the big German shepherd. He was a good watch dog and a loyal companion to Jason.

As Malcolm shifted around in the seat, he felt the weight of the ASP handgun in his pocket. After the group and escaped the horde of zombies, he had tried to give the gun to Jason, but he had refused to take the gun saying "That gun could save your life, or the life of another one day." Malcolm sighed as he thought about what he would normally be doing. _'Right now I would be at school making fun of Mrs. Pollock with Tyler.'_ He remembered with a pang of sadness at what had happened to his best friend.

_Flashback_

_When Malcolm had woken up that morning he had taken a shower and got ready for school. He and his father had been sitting down eating breakfast when his mother burst through the front door clutching a bloodied arm._

"_Some homeless guy outside just ran up and bit me on my way back from the store!" His mother exclaimed. His mother, Julie, was a nurse at the local hospital, and had the bite cleaned and properly dressed. Malcolm had gone up to his room to grab his things when he heard his father yelling at someone to "Get off!" Malcolm ran to the door to the living room and swung it open to find his father on his back and his mother standing over him chewing on a piece of flesh._

_His father looked at him from is position on the floor "Run Malcolm, run!" Then his mother ripped out his throat._

_Malcolm screamed at the sight before him, gaining the attention of his mother. She looked up at him, hissed, and bolted for him, teeth bared and ready to sink them into his soft flesh. Malcolm shut the door quickly and bolted for his room. He slammed his bedroom door shut and locked it. He looked around the room in a panic, looking for a place to escape. His gaze landed on the window. As he emptied out his backpack and filled it with personal items he could hear his mother slamming against the bedroom door. He ran to the window, grabbing a picture of him and his parents for his tenth birthday earlier in the week. As he jumped out of the window onto the roof he could hear the door break under the combined force of his parents. He ran to the edge of the room and started climbing down the vine covered lattes. _

_Then he did what his father told him to do: Run. He tightened the straps on his backpack and ran for Old Man Azi's house, just down the street. When he reached Azi's front yard he heard someone running up behind him. He took a chance and looked, only to see his best friend Tyler running at him, snarling. The boy was missing several large chunks of flesh from his arms and neck. Blood poured from the wounds as he ran at Malcolm, only to have his brains explode out of the back of his head in a cascade of blood and mush._

_He looked up at the porch. Standing there, holding a Zastava M76 sniper rifle, was Old Man Azi, a 52 year old ex-Egyptian sniper. Malcolm ran to him and hugged him around the waist, crying._

"_It's alright Mal. Get in the house, hurry." Azi all but pushed Malcolm through the front door._

"_Azi, what's going on? Why did mom eat dad and try to eat me?"_

"_I don't know Mal', I don't know." Azi handed him a gun. "This is an ASP. It's small enough; you should be able to easily handle the recoil."_

"_I don't want it Azi." Malcolm said as he tried to give it back._

_Azi pushed the gun back to him. "Mal', this gun could save your life, or the life of another one day." Malcolm put the gun in his pocket._

_End Flashback_

Malcolm could feel the tears threatening to fall as he recalled the morning's events. Hannah leaned over and put her hand on his cheek.

"Everything will be alright Malcolm. You'll see." She said with a slight German accent.

Malcolm looked out the window as she withdrew her hand. The sun had just come up over the horizon, shining its light on a new day. A new, horrible, bloody day where he lost most of the people he cared most about. The days to come would be challenging, for him, and for anyone that survived.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:23 am**_

_**Highway 460, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:54 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

Don's eyes widened. _'What?!' _He mouthed, disbelieving.

_There's one in the house!' _'Raf repeated. _'I'm going to check it out.'_

"No, 'Raf!" Don whispered but it was too late. 'Raf disappeared around the corner.

'Raf eased cautiously around the corner and into the hall. Not seeing anything, he continued down the hall towards the kitchen. As he approached, he heard a crash come from the direction he was headed. 'Raf turned quickly into the hall that leads to the living room, where he could hear the TV still playing the grim news. Out of sight, his heart began to race. He could hear footsteps coming down the hall in his direction. He pressed himself to the wall and waited. A tall, hooded figure began to walk slowly past. 'Raf jumped out of the hall, bringing his gun up and pulling down the figures hood. The figure spun around…

And came face to face with 'Raf's Mossberg 590, the barrel stuffed into his nose.

"Who are you?" 'Raf asked as he studied that young man in front of him. The young man was black and almost a foot taller than 'Raf, the figure standing at 6' 2". He wore a bloodied blue t-shirt, blue hoodie, and black jeans.

"M-my name is Marcus sir, Marcus Ross." Marcus stuttered nervously.

"Did you get bit by one of those rioters?"

"N-no sir!" Marcus answered quickly. "This blood ain't mine."

"Whose is it?"

"It's my twin brother Jamal's. One of those things ripped out part of his neck on our way to school." Marcus answered sadly.

'Raf took the gun out of Marcus' face. "Hey Don! It's alright, it's just some scared kid!"

"Well that's a relief!" Don said cheerfully as he walked down the stairs. He took one look at the kid before saying "What the hell happened to you?"

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**7:59 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:23 am**_

_**Highway 460, Virginia**_

What a change. Going from hardly ever being around anyone, to practically living with an old man, a young woman, and a little kid. It was really strange. At least Trip was here. Trip had been a constant companion to Jason ever since he was released from Camp Lejeune. It was actually kind of nice.

Until Azi wanted to head to the city.

"We are not going _anywhere_ near big cities." Jason said.

"We are going to be needing supplies." Azi argued.

Jason pulled out his Guide and tossed it to him. "Read this book and you will find out just why going to a big city is such a bad I idea."

"Why is this book of such importance?" Azi asked as he stared at the book. "These creatures can not be 'zombies'."

"These things run around even though they are missing body parts and organs, they want to any living humans, and after you get bit you become one of them. Do they still not fit the description?"

"…" Azi had no reply.

"Besides, if we need food, water, or ammunition we can find those in any small towns we come across." Jason said.

"But what about clothes?" Hannah said.

"Maybe there will be shops that sell clothes."

"All the more reason to go to the city." Azi cut in.

"Good God! Do you _want_ to die or become one of those things, old man?" Jason shouted.

Hannah placed an oddly calming hand on his arm. "Please Jason? You may not need clothes, but the rest of us do. Do you expect us to go around for weeks wearing only what we have on?"

"Fine. We'll go, but don't expect me to help if you get into trouble."

Hannah gave him a smile. "Thank you Jason."

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:32 am**_

_**Highway 460, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:06 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

After telling his story to 'Raf and Don, Marcus was given a gun. He held the .223 caliber Kel-tec SU-16 rifle. The gun weighed about five to six pounds and had a clip of thirty rounds. He had only fired a gun when he went to the shooting range with his step-dad when he was 10.

He looked over at the short, Italian man, 'Raf, who held his Mossberg 590 as he stared at the chaos in the street below them. People weren't running around in the streets as much, but every once in a while someone would try to get to their car, or try to get out of the garage. No one succeeded. They were caught by the zombies before they could get very far. What was strange was these zombies didn't act like the ones he had ever seen the movies. They seemed intelligent. They ran around in packs like animals. Each 'pack' even had its own leader. They would spread out and hide, just waiting for people to make a break for their car, thinking that the zombies weren't there.

'Raf was shocked by what he had been seeing. Zombies were working together to catch their prey. This wasn't right. Zombies were suppose to stupid, undead creatures that lumber around in groups, not smart little fucks that run around in packs, laying traps for his neighbors. His mind was racing. As he saw it they only had two choices: 1) They could stay here until they ran out of food, then try and make a run for it, or 2) They could try to run. Neither option held much of a chance of survival.

He made up his mind.

"Don, Marcus! Start grabbing all the food, water, and ammo that you can grab in one trip." 'Raf said, standing up.

"What's going through that head of yours 'Raf?" Don asked.

"Right now we have two options: Stay until our food runs out or take a chance and run."

"Run? Are you crazy? Have you been watching what those zombies have been doing outside?" Marcus said.

"Yeah I have. I think we have a chance to get out." 'Raf said confidently.

"Oh really? What's your plan?" Don asked.

As 'Raf smirked, a chill ran down Marcus' and Don's spines. They knew this wasn't going to be good.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:47 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

As the front door to 'Rafs house swung open, the nearby pack of zombies came charging to the door. They tore into the house, searching every hallway and room for their prey. After they all ran into the house, the garage door opened and a big, black H1 Hummer came rolling out. As it rolled into the street and took off, the pack of zombies charged out of the house, chasing after the large military vehicle.

"Holy shit! I can't believe that actually worked!" Don whooped.

"Were you doubting me Don?" 'Raf asked him.

"Yep I reckon I was."

"I doubted that plan myself." Marcus and Don jerked their headed at 'Raf.

"What?!" They said in unison.

He shrugged. "I've never been very good with making plans like that. This would be one of the only ones that ever worked."

"What if it had failed?" Don asked.

"Then we would all have joined that zombie pack back there."

"Shit…"

"But we're alive and that's what counts." 'Raf said cheerfully.

"We're alive but our relatives are most likely dead. Don't you feel anything for the loss of your family?" Marcus asked.

"Kid, I'm an only child. It was always me, my mom, and my dad and both my parents died years ago. I don't have anyone to mourn the loss of anymore."

"I'm sorry..." Marcus said quietly.

'Raf waved him off. "It's all in the past. If there's one thing I learned in the military, it's that no matter what, you can't change the past and bring back the ones you lost."

They continued driving down the road in silence.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:49 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:47 am**_

_**Highway 460, Virginia**_

"Look out!"

The Chevy Silverado swerved to the right, almost hitting an oncoming car. But it swerved right into an empty field. Jason held his head as the truck came to a stop in the middle of the field.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked.

"I will live." Azi said.

"I'm alright." Hannah said, holding the side of her head in pain.

"Me too!" Malcolm piped in. Trip barked energetically.

"Good." Jason said. He turned the key… only to get nothing. "Aw shit!"

"What is it?" Azi asked concerned.

"The truck won't start. I think the impact jarred something. It could take some time to fix."

"Well it looks like we don't have time." Azi said, pointing out the window. Jason looked at the woods. He could see the buildings of , and headed toward them was a pack of zombies. Jason guessed they were 300 meters away and closing fast.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jason shouted. He turned the key again only to get nothing. "Damn it!" He looked at the street where he could see an abandoned 780 Volvo semi truck. "Alright, when I say go, run to that white semi. Do not, I repeat, _do not_ look back."

They all climbed out of the Chevy. Jason handed the spare rifles, handguns, and ammunition to Hannah and Malcolm. "Run on my mark." He yelled opened fire with his M16A2. Azi did the same with his Rasheed Carbine "Go!" Hannah and Malcolm turned and ran as fast as they could with Trip at their side, not looking back once. They ran as fast as they could while carrying all the extra weight. Hannah held the other M16A2 in her hands while Malcolm had his ASP in left hand. They were about to climb up to the road, when a rotted hand flew out and caught Hannah by the hair, dragging her to the ground. She screamed as the zombie dropped its head down to bite her, when a small hole appeared in its forehead. It fell over, obviously dead. She glanced up.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Seconds before_

Jason fired shot after shot, killing the zombies one by one, when he heard a scream and spun around. Hannah was on the ground with a zombie above her, getting ready to bite her. He aimed quickly and fired, putting a bullet right through its forehead. Jason looked at her. His electric blue eyes met her coffee brown eyes for an instant before he tore his gaze away. He tore away his gaze and kept firing…

Until the M16A2 clicked on empty at the same time as Azi's Rasheed. They turned and ran. Jason pulled out his .45 caliber LAR Grizzly and his Beretta 87. He tossed the Beretta to Azi and kept running.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Hannah's coffee brown eyes met Jason's electric blue eyes before he turned away. She watched him start firing, and then she turned and ran to the semi. Malcolm had reached the semi before her, climbing in through the open driver's door and jumping in the back with Trip. Hannah climbed up into the driver's seat and closed the door. She looked in the ignition and, to her surprise, found that the keys were still there. (1) The engine sprang to life as she turned the key over. She looked out to the truck when she realized there was no more gunfire. As she made to open the door, it swung open, to show Jason, sweating and climbing into the cab.

Azi climbed up into the passenger seat, blowing a zombies head to nothing as it tried to bit his leg. He slammed the door.

"Shit, this truck is an automatic!" Jason exclaimed.

"Does that mean you can't drive it?" Hannah asked, worried.

"No, but it'll take me a minute to figure out." He said.

"Well we do not have a minute!" Azi said loudly.

Jason looked down at the control pad on the side of the driver's seat. There were five buttons: R, N, D, shift up, and shift down. (2) He assumed 'D' meant drive. He punched the button and hit the gas. To his surprise the truck lurched forward, separating a zombie's torso from the rest of its body. Jason held his foot to the gas pedal as he looked at everyone. Azi had reloaded his carbine and it now sat in his lap, his Zastava M21 sat next to him on the floor.

"Is everyone alright?" Jason asked.

"I am fine." Azi said.

"I'm alright." Malcolm replied.

Jason glanced at Hannah. She sat in the back, quiet. She just stared at her lap.

"Hey Hannah, are you alright?"

She looked up at him. "I'm alright." She said, her voice quivering. He could see her eyes water, threatening to spill.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Outside, a zombie crawled in through an open door into a car. The keys were twisted and the engine turned on.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:55 am**_

_**Highway 460, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**8:56 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

'Raf stared down the road at the large roadblock on Main Street.

"They is all idiots." Don said.

"Yeah they are. There have to be hundreds of those things running around, and these guys sit here, out in the open. They might as well have a neon sign above them saying _'Come eat me!'_"

'Raf slowed down the Hummer as they got closer to the roadblock. He could see a police officer shouting at him, but couldn't tell what he was saying, so he rolled down the window.

"Stop the vehicle now! It is now the property of the Perry Police Department!" The officer yelled.

Don rolled down the other window. "Screw you pig! We ain't givin' up our only option for survival!" He shouted back.

The man and his fellow officers drew their pistols. "If you do not surrender the vehicle now, we will open fire!"

"These guys just want to get out of here as much as we do." Marcus said.

"Yeah, but we're not giving up _Chrissy_. No chance in hell." 'Raf said.

"You gave your damn Hummer a_ name_?" Don asked incredulously.

"Every good vehicle or boat needs a name." 'Raf smirked. "And _Chrissy _here gets every job I need done. Like, running through a roadblock."

Don's eyes widened. "Oh no. Not with me in here your not!"

'Raf just grinned and punched the gas. "Here we go baby!"

"Shit!" Don and Marcus yelled.

_Chrissy_ jumped forward, speeding towards the roadblock. "Fire!" The chief officer shouted. The bullets smashed against the metal of the Hummer, not slowing it down in the least. Not even when the officers shot at the glass. Or when they shot at the tires. The glass didn't break and the tires didn't pop.

Inside _Chrissy_ 'Raf smirked. "Bulletproof glass and rubber tires. This thing is a tank."

Outside, the officers jumped off to the sides as _Chrissy_ came crashing through the roadblock. The chief stood up and dusted himself off.

"Damn it! We're going to have to find another vehicle."

"U-um, sir?" A man stuttered.

"What is it Stevens?" The Chief snapped.

"Look." Stevens pointed in the direction the hummer had come from. The Chief looked and immediately wished he hadn't. It seemed like all the zombies in Perry were coming their way.

"Sweet Mary mother of-"He raised his pistol and aimed at the zombies. "Don't fire unless you're sure you can get a kill!" He shouted to him men. 70 feet… 60 feet… 50 feet… _BANG! BANG! BANG! _Shots echoed throughout the area. As zombies fell dead, their undead brethren climbed, walked, and jumped over them, wanting to reach the fresh meat in front of them.

"Run!" The Chief screamed at his men. As he turned to run, he could hear the screams of his men being torn apart. He looked at the direction he was running. "Fuck…" There in front of him, snarling as they ran, were more zombies.

"God forgive me." He said as he placed his gun to the side of his head and pulled the trigger… _CLICK!_ The gun clicked on empty as the horde reached him. The first one to him teared into him with ferocity not unlike that of a starving animal. Blood sprayed through the air as his throat was ripped from his neck and consumed. His left arm was ripped from its socket, blood pouring from the wound like a fountain. He found his eyesight fading as we watched these ungodly creatures tear his flesh from his body and eat it. He could feel the binding pain as they ripped open his abdomen, blood pooling around his dying body. The zombies pulled out his internal organs and consumed them. Finally the pain ended as a zombie ripped out his heart with many other organs and began to feast upon them.

Minutes after they were done, the zombies ran off in the direction of the Hummer, in the lead was the Chief, missing his left arm and had a gaping hole in his stomach. He had what could be described as a look of hatred as he charged after the fast disappearing Hummer…

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:05 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:03 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

Tobias Xavier was shaking as he clutched his .270 caliber hunting rifle. He had woken up this morning, hearing a woman screaming as she ran around in the streets. People watched from their windows as she clawed at her face. Tobias watched as the woman ran around in circles, screaming gibberish. The sheriff had been called down, and when he got there, the woman took one look at him and said clearly:

"They're coming." Then her eyes rolled up into her head as she collapsed. The sheriff ran forward and felt her pulse.

"She's dead!" He called out. Suddenly the woman's eyes shot open and she snarled as her head shot up and tore into the sheriff's neck. He yelled as she let go, blood dripping down her chin and neck. She ran at an elderly woman who had been watching. The elderly woman screamed as the woman leapt on her, biting and scratching. Things had only escalated from there. The sheriff had stood up, hissing and snarling and ran at the nearest bystander. Every time the sheriff or the young woman bit someone, that person would become one of them. Whenever someone who had been bit had bitten someone, they turned into one of those… _things_...

Only a handful of people had survived after the first half hour. Some had tried to make it to their cars, but were attacked and turned before they had a chance. Now Tobias was alone. The last man, Carl Springston, had been attacked as he tried to make it to Tobias' apartment. There was no one else. He was alone in this new, horrible place. And there looked to be no chance of escape, until he thought he heard an engine. He passed it off as a trick these creatures had used early on to lure people from the buildings. As it got louder he realized it was real. Someone was coming this way!

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Jason looked at the town sign as he passed: _Welcome to Evergreen!_

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:05 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The keys were still there because the truck driver was either pulled from the truck or he got out and tried to help someone.

There are actually automatic semi trucks. I would know, I live in one.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Last Days**

_**Chapter 3**_

**Last time:**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:05 am**_

_**Perry, Georgia**_

"_God forgive me." He said as he placed his gun to the side of his head and pulled the trigger… _CLICK!_ The gun clicked on empty as the horde reached him. The first one to him teared into him with ferocity not unlike that of a starving animal. Blood sprayed through the air as his throat was ripped from his neck and consumed. His left arm was ripped from its socket, blood pouring from the wound like a fountain. He found his eyesight fading as we watched these ungodly creatures tear his flesh from his body and eat it. He could feel the binding pain as they ripped open his abdomen, blood pooling around his dying body. The zombies pulled out his internal organs and consumed them. Finally the pain ended as a zombie ripped out his heart with many other organs and began to feast upon them. _

_Minutes after they were done, the zombies ran off in the direction of the Hummer, in the lead was the Chief, missing his left arm and had a gaping hole in his stomach. He had what could be described as a look of hatred as he charged after the fast disappearing Hummer…_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:05 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

_Only a handful of people had survived after the first half hour. Some had tried to make it to their cars, but were attacked and turned before they had a chance. Now Tobias was alone. The last man, Carl Springston, had been attacked as he tried to make it to Tobias' apartment. There was no one else. He was alone in this new, horrible place. And there looked to be no chance of escape, until he thought he heard an engine. He passed it off as a trick these creatures had used early on to lure people from the buildings. As it got louder he realized it was real. Someone was coming this way!_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Jason looked at the town sign as he passed: _Welcome to Evergreen!

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:05 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

Jason, Hannah, Malcolm, and Azi looked through the window at the ghost town that lay before them. Not one thing was moving, that they could see anyway. They saw several blocks of shops and apartment buildings, and past those they could see houses. They could see blood, some in puddles in the streets, more sprayed on the buildings and storefronts. Even the occasional arm or leg. Jason slowed down, looking at the store fronts. The stores held many different things: electronics, clothes, food, appliances, books, liquor, and guns. This would be the perfect place to pick up all the supplies they needed. With the 53' trailer the semi was pulling, they could fit everything they would need for a couple weeks, maybe longer. The problem would be fuel for the semi. Sure, Jason knew how to siphon fuel from vehicles, but with god knows how many zombies running around it would be extremely dangerous. Jason was pulled from his thoughts as Hannah pointed out the window.

"Look! There's someone in the window!" She exclaimed.

"It's probably just another zombie." Jason said.

"No it's not." She told him.

"How do you know that?"

"Because he's waving at us!" She said.

Jason jerked his head up in the direction Hannah was pointing. Sure enough, there was some poor fellow practically hanging out of his window trying on the fifth floor, trying and succeeding to get their attention.

"There is someone still alive here?" Azi asked.

"Yup, look up there." Jason said as he came to a stop outside the apartment complex the man was in. Hannah, who was currently in the passenger seat, rolled down the window.

"Are you alright?" She called out to him.

"Yes! Please help me!" He yelled. "They're everywhere! I'm the only one left!"

"What's your name?"

"Tobias Xavier!"

"Ask him how many people lived here." Jason told Hannah.

"How many people lived here?" She called out.

"Over two hundred!" Tobias said.

"Damn…" Jason muttered. He looked up at the others in the truck. "We can stay here for a while to get the supplies we need or we can get this guy out of there and leave."

"Maybe we should take the second option." Azi said.

Jason stared at him before saying "Jesus Christ Azi! You're the one who said we need to get supplies! We can get virtually anything we need right here in this town and not have to take the risk of going in to a large city!"

"…" Azi did not respond.

"Hannah? Malcolm? What are your thoughts?"

"Whatever you want to do." Malcolm said.

"I think we're going to need the supplies, and its better to get them now, where there is a lower number of zombies." Hannah said.

"Alright. Looks like we're staying here for a while." Jason said. He may have sounded confident to the others, but inside he wasn't so sure about staying. One zombie is bad, but two hundred? He cringed mentally. The time they were to stay here would not be pretty.

"Grab the guns and ammo." Jason said. "I'll go scout the way up to the mans apartment. Azi, you stay here and watch after these two. If I don't come back, then I'm dead. I refuse to let these bastards turn me into one of them."

Jason put on his back leather jacket and his leather gloves. The right glove was missing half the pointer and middle fingers. He grabbed his M16A2, his Remington, and LAR Grizzly. Before he could open the door, Trip started whining and placed his head on Jason's lap.

"It's alright Trip." Jason said as he scratched behind Trip's ear. "If I don't make it back, you're Malcolm's." Then he was out the door. Azi locked the doors as Jason jumped out and slammed the driver's side door.

Jason swung the Remington onto his back and held up the M16. He scanned the area. Not seeing anything, he ran to the apartment door. He stood against the door and slowly opened it. He glanced in and looked around. He held the gun up as he made his way slowly down the hall. Jason was terrified. As a kid he'd always thought that 'it would cool' to fight zombies. Now, as an adult, he didn't think that. Right now there was a chance he was going to die, and that scared him. Not the thought of dying, but of being bit and turned into a zombie. He walked slowly down the hallway, listening for the smallest noises: the sound of feet on the floor, the rustle of clothing, the heavy breathing coming from behind him? He swung around and fired as the zombie jumped on him. His shots smashed into the ceiling as he fell to the ground. He let go of the gun and punched the zombie in the head. The zombie snarled as Jason put his arm up. The zombie bit his arm.

Jason gritted his teeth in pain as he pushed the zombie off and stood up. As the zombie leapt at him again, Jason swung his fist, knocking the zombie back. Jason yelled as he charged at the zombie, picking it up around the waist and slammed it through an apartment door. He looked around for a weapon as he stood up. He grabbed a baseball bat that stood in the corner and blasted the zombie in the head as it stood up. He hit it two more times before he was satisfied it was dead. He panted as he walked through the broken door out into the hall and picked up his gun. He pulled up his sleeve to examine the bite, only to find that the teeth had not broken the skin. He sighed in relief as he continued to the stairs.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:14 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:14 am**_

_**Kathleen Outskirts, Georgia**_

"I'm getting kind of hungry." Don said as he rubbed his stomach.

"Are you kidding me? We just left! Grab something we brought with us." 'Raf said, annoyed.

"Partner, I need _real_ food. None of that MRE crap you have _en masse_."

"That 'MRE crap' has kept me alive for a couple of days while keeping an eye on enemy troops."

"So what? You're use to it, I'm not!"

"God damn it! Just eat the God damn stuff!" Marcus said.

"Why don't you try it first?" Don asked.

"Fine I will!" Marcus said. He grabbed an MRE labeled _Turkey_, ripped it open, and followed the cooking instructions. A few minutes later it was done. Marcus grabbed a fork and dug in, only to roll down his window and spit it out.

"Damn! This shit's nasty!"

"I told you!" Don exclaimed.

"You know what? Fine! Why don't you keep an eye out for anywhere we can stop and get _'real food'_." 'Raf said, exasperated.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Look right there! That looks like a good place!" Don pointed. On a small hill there stood a small mansion. On the front of the house there were three balconies: two off to the sides, above the now broken windows, and one balcony that lead to the second story and was above the front door. The main building was three stories except for one small area that lead to a six-story tower that stood behind the house. The back of the house, from what they could see, went partially around the sides of the tower, making it look like it was part of the house. 'Raf estimated the distance between the house and the woods to be around 300 feet.

"If you put someone who is a good marksman up in that tower, you could see anyone approaching from any direction." 'Raf said.

"Yeah well, I hope that with all the money these people have invested into that house, that they at least have a well stocked kitchen." Don said.

'Raf sighed. "Fine. We'll head up there and check things out. If things get bad, head immediately back to _Chrissy_."

Don gave a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

"Don't mock me." 'Raf warned. Don just chuckled.

'Raf looked back at Marcus. "You alright kid?"

Marcus looked up "Yes, sir. I am sir."

"Don't call me 'sir'. It makes me sound old and I'm not in the military anymore."

"Yes, sir."

'Raf sighed.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The hummer rolled slowly up the long driveway. Inside the three men watched carefully for any zombies that were prowling the grounds. As they pulled up to a large iron gate, 'Raf sighed. He should have expected this.

"We might not be able to get in guys." 'Raf said.

"Why don't we go check and see what kind of lock the gate has?" Don asked.

"A place like this probably has a hand scanner. If it does, then we can't get it without ramming the gate."

"Then why not do that?" Marcus asked.

"Because, I don't want to mess up _Chrissy's _paint job!" 'Raf said.

"Who gives a damn about the hummer? It's not like it's going to care." Don muttered.

"I hope you didn't say what-" 'Raf was cut off when a zombie leapt out of the bushes and slammed into the window, snarling.

"Holy shit!" Don yelled as he scooted as far away from 'Raf's window as he could.

"He did _not_ just get blood all over my hummer!" 'Raf roared as he put the hummer in reverse and hit the gas. The zombie stumbled as it lost its grip on the vehicle. The group got a good look at the zombie. The only mark it had was a bite in its neck. The man was wearing a normal guard uniform, but did not have his handgun.

"I bet he could get us through the gate." 'Raf said as the zombie charged at them. 'Raf put the hummer in drive and hit the gas again, slamming into the zombie and breaking it in half. Blood sprayed over the windshield and 'Raf hit the breaks, sending the zombies torso flying.

"Looks like he's gonna get us in!" 'Raf said.

'Raf got out of the hummer holding his Mossberg. As he walked to the zombie's torso, it saw him and started crawling toward him, determined to bite him. 'Raf just shook his head, pointed the gun and fired. Blood and brains flew everywhere as the torso collapsed. 'Raf wiped a hand across his face and it came back bloody. He swore as he walked to the now motionless corpse. He dragged it into the guardhouse saw a hand scanner. He smirked as he placed the dead mans hand on the scanner. As it scanned the man's hand, 'Raf heard the gate start to open. He walked back to the hummer and climbed in.

"I need something to wipe off my face." 'Raf said. Marcus handed him a shirt. "Thanks kid."

'Raf stepped on the gas and the hummer lurched and headed up last of the driveway.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:26 am**_

_**Kathleen Outskirts, Georgia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:23 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

Jason leaned against the wall to catch his breath. There had been more zombies than he first thought. He had blood dripping down his jacket from the zombies he had killed so far. There were three on the first floor, six on the second, and five more on the third. He still had two more floors to go! He sighed and walked in the stairwell. After checking to make sure it was clear, he headed up the stairs to the next floor. He cautiously opened the fourth floor door.

'_Why couldn't the builders put all the stairs in one stairwell?!' _He thought. He had to walk up one flight of stairs, walk to the opposite side of that floor to go up the next flight of stairs and repeat the process. It was pissing him off. He had long since put his M16 on his back in exchange for the shotgun. It was better in enclosed spaces. He blasted another zombie that came running at him from down the hall. It was picked up and thrown several feet, then rolled several more before finally stopping. Jason walked slowly and cautiously down the hall until he made it to the final set of stairs. On the top of the stairs, he opened the door. Down the hall he saw several corpses, none moving.

He walked down the hall, tapping each door until one swung open to show a young man in his late 20's holding a .270 caliber hunting rifle. The man had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. His blue eyes were full of fear as he latched on to Jason, crying.

"Oh thank god! It's been a couple hours since I've seen another live person! Let's get out of here!" Tobias said as he started towards the stairwell.

Jason grabbed his arm and swung him around. "We're not going anywhere. Before we do, we are going to need supplies. Clothes, food, water, guns, and ammunition. You know this town, so you're going to help us if you want to come with us."

"No! I won't help you! I just want to get out of here!" Tobias made to run to the stairs again, but Jason picked him up by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"No. You're not going anywhere. We need your help to find all these things. When we're done, you can come with us. Now we don't know where we're going yet, but we will decide later." Jason leaned in so he was only a couple inches away from Tobias' face. "Do you understand?"

Tobias nodded his head furiously. "Good." Jason said as he let the man drop to the floor. "Now come down with me and help us grab our guns and ammo."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Do you think he's alright?" Hannah asked Azi for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Yes Hannah, I think he's alright."

"Don't worry Hannah, he's gonna come back!" Malcolm said.

Hannah smiled at the boy. Ever since they had formed this little group, Malcolm had started to trust Jason more than she or Azi did. That and the boy loved the dog, Trip. The dog seemed to love all the attention Malcolm was giving him. She smiled at the two sitting on the bench in the back. Shortly after switching vehicles they had found out the bottom bunk had a table beneath it. They placed the cushions like a bench on the sides of the table after it came up.

"Jason is coming!" Azi pulled her out of her thoughts.

Hannah practically leapt from her place across from Malcolm and looked out the window. There, walking out of the apartment door, was Jason, and he had the man from the apartment with him. Jason opened the door.

"Alright guys, grab all the guns and ammo. We're going to be staying up on the fifth floor for a day or two." He told them.

"All the way up there?" Azi asked.

"Yes Azi, all the way up there. Why don't you just read the damn book I'm lending you and you'll realize I'm not just messing around?"

"I might just get to that if we stop for more than five minutes." Azi grumbled.

With Jason and Tobias standing guard, Hannah, Malcolm, and Azi got out of the truck and headed into the building. Before Jason walked through the door, he had a chill run up and down his spine. A chill he normally got when he was being watched. He spun around and looked around the street, but his trained eyes did not pick up anything. He walked inside the building and locked the door behind him.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:32 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:34 am**_

_**Kathleen Outskirts, Georgia**_

Don whistled as 'Raf pulled the hummer up to the front of the mansion. It was even larger up close.

"God Almighty. Who the hell has the money to own a house like this?" Don asked incredulously.

'Raf shrugged. "Who knows? Right now we need to get in there and secure the building. Every nook and cranny."

'Raf, Don and Marcus got out of the hummer and headed up to the front door. 'Raf twisted the door to see if it was locked, but it clicked open. He slowly swung it open and peeked inside. In the entry way there was a puddle of blood with a couple of organs lying in it. He opened the door and brought his gun up. He swung it around and, not seeing anything, signaled for Don and Marcus to come in. Marcus took one look at the puddle in the entry and ran out to the bushes next to the house. Don didn't look much better, but he refrained from following Marcus. When the retching was done, Marcus walked back in, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"I'm sorry." He apologized.

"It's alright kid. This is far from the worst you're going to see." 'Raf told him, making Marcus pale.

After securing the bottom floor, 'Raf turned to the others.

"Alright, we'll check upstairs first, then the tower, and finally the garage. Stay together at all times. Understand?" Don and Marcus nodded. "Good. Let's go."

The three men walked past the huge kitchen and living room to the stairs. 'Raf went up first, followed by Marcus, and then Don. As 'Raf made it to the top of the stairs, he heard a snarl. He looked down the hall and saw a woman, probably in her mid fifties and wearing a light blue nightgown stained with blood running at him. He shot at her without hesitation, knocking the zombie down. It sprang back up and charged again, only to be put to rest as another shot tore through its skull. 'Raf turned around and saw Don pump his Winchester, loading another bullet in the chamber. 'Raf nodded and turned back to the zombie's body. He walked over to it and nudged it with the toe of his boot.

_BOOM! _'Raf shot the zombie in the head, spraying blood all over the floor and walls.

"Jesus 'Raf! The damn thing is already dead!" Don exclaimed.

'Raf just shrugged. "Never can be too careful."

They continued down the hall, searching the rooms but not finding anyone, living or undead. They proceeded to the stairs that led up to the hallway over to the tower. 'Raf peeked out the door. He slowly opened it and walked out into the brightly lit hall. The hallway they were in was nothing but windows. They looked through the windows at the large, luxurious backyard. There was a rather large pool near the base of the tower and a blacktop with a basketball hoop on the side of the house. 'Raf just shook his head at the amount of money that must have been put into this mansion.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do. Don, you and Marcus take the bottom levels and I'll head up top."

"But you said we never go off alone." Marcus said nervously.

"Yes but you aren't retired military are you?" That shut him up.

"Alright let's go." 'Raf limped down the hall and to the staircase that led up, while Don and Marcus walked down the other staircase. 'Raf eased open the door to the fourth level of the tower. He did a thorough scan of the room. Looking in the closet and out on the deck. As he was climbing the stairs to the fifth floor, he heard a couple shots come from the lower levels. After searching the fifth floor and coming up with nothing, he headed to the top level. As he opened the door, he held up his gun in defense as a golf club flew toward his head.

"Ouch! I'm not one of those things God damn it!" 'Raf shouted.

"I don't care! You must be looters! Get the hell out of my house!" A young woman screamed at him.

"Will you fucking stop hitting me?!" 'Raf practically screamed as he grabbed the golf club and wrenched it out of the woman's hands. As soon as he did, a pair of well manicured hands began clawing at his face. 'Raf yelled in pain as he gave the woman a shove. She fell on the floor, crying out in pain.

"Why did you push me?!" She screamed with a southern accent.

"Why the fuck did you attack me?!" 'Raf screamed back.

"You're comin' here to loot my ma's house!"

"No we damn well are not!"

"Then what are you doin' here?" She asked.

"We need a place to stay. A place to get away from those 'zombies' that are out there." 'Raf said, starting to calm down.

"Well why didn't ya'll say so in the first place?"

"Are you serious?!" 'Raf asked. "First thing you did when I open the door was attack me!"

"I thought you were one of those things!"

"Even after I told you to stop?"

"No! Then I thought you were a looter!"

"So its one of those 'attack first, ask questions later' type of thing then?"

"No! I just-"She was cut off as Don and Marcus came charging through the door.

"'Raf, what's wrong? We heard you yelling!" Don asked, panting.

"This kid just tried to beat my head in with a golf club!" 'Raf told them.

"I'm no kid!" The young woman said.

"Oh, really? How old are you?" 'Raf asked her.

"Nearly 18!"

"See? A kid!" 'Raf told Don.

"You the one who did a number on that zombie down on the bottom second floor?" Don asked the girl.

"Yeah… That was my daddy." She said sadly.

"Sorry, er, what's your name?" Don asked.

"Oh! It's Rhyaan. Rhyaan Thompson." She said as she picked herself up off the floor.

Don shook her hand. "Well, howdy miss Rhyaan I'm Don Bridger. The other kid here is Marcus Ross, and the short guy you attacked is Serafino Stanco."

Marcus nodded. "Ma'am."

Serafino grunted.

"Well, now that we're all acquainted and such, what say we take a walk on downstairs and grab us a bite to eat?" Don said as he rubbed his hands together.

The others just started at him.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:04 am**_

_**Thompson Mansion, Georgia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**9:54 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

All the guns were lined up on the wall with their ammunition lying next to them as Jason made a list of what they had.

"Alright. We've got four handguns, seven rifles, two machine guns, and two sniper rifles with enough ammo for each to last about one week, and that is with conserving everything. We have only the food here in this apartment and plenty of water, that is until the water gets turned off, but we don't know when that is." Jason told the group. "We're going to have to go out and search the shops for extra clothes, food, ammo, and anything else we might need. Hannah and I will get clothes and ammo. Azi, Malcolm, and Tobias, you three are going to get food and search shops for anything else we might need." He handed each of them a list. "These are the most crucial non-food items we will need."

Azi looked at the list. On it were _plastic gas cans, propane tanks, and gas powered generators_. He looked up at Jason. "Why are we going to need gas powered generators?"

"To help keep food cool. We can fit a lot of supplies in that tailor, so I think we can maybe get a fridge and/or freezer and some other appliances. If we can get enough gas to run the generators for at least a week, we'll be in the clear."

"We're going to put generators in the trailer? If anyone is in there, won't they get sick from the gas fumes?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, that's why I'm going to find the closest auto body shop and put in some removable windows on the trailer. That way we can keep them open when we are in the trailer, and while we're driving. Then we can close them if we hit bad weather."

"You've really thought this stuff though, haven't you?" Tobias asked.

"I've been reading _'The Zombie Survival Guide'_ almost every day for the past 3 years. I've memorized almost every page in that book. This is something that I never thought would happen and that I would never put this knowledge to use, but now I can. I can keep people alive because of it." Jason finished. "Now, does everyone understand their tasks?"

"I understand."

"Yep!"

"Me too.'

"Crystal clear, sir."

"Bark!"

"Good. Now, we'll head down to the nearest electronics store and pick up some walkie-talkies and some batteries so we can communicate. Let's go!" Jason said and walked out the door, the others following.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:04 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The next chapter will be focusing mainly on the Virginia group gathering their supplies and less Georgia group getting settled in and making future plans.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Last Days**

_**Chapter 4**_

**Last time:**

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:04 am**_

_**Thompson Mansion, Georgia**_

"_Sorry, er, what's your name?" Don asked._

"_Oh! It's Rhyaan. Rhyaan Thompson." She said as she picked herself up off the floor._

_Don shook her hand. "Well, howdy miss Rhyaan I'm Don Bridger. The other kid here is Marcus Ross, and the short guy you attacked is Serafino Stanco."_

_Marcus nodded. "Ma'am."_

_Serafino grunted._

"_Well, now that we're all acquainted and such, what say we take a walk on downstairs and grab us a bite to eat?" Don said as he rubbed his hands together._

_The others just started at him._

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:04 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

"_You've really thought this stuff though, haven't you?" Tobias asked._

"_I've been reading 'The Zombie Survival Guide' almost every day for the past 3 years. I've memorized almost every page in that book. This is something that I never thought would happen and that I would never put this knowledge to use, but now I can. I can keep people alive because of it." Jason finished. "Now, does everyone understand their tasks?" _

"_I understand." _

"_Yep!" _

"_Me too.'_

"_Crystal clear, sir."_

"_Bark!"_

"_Good. Now, we'll head down to the nearest electronics store and pick up some walkie-talkies and some batteries so we can communicate. Let's go!" Jason said and walked out the door, the others following._

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:11 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The sound of the semi truck backing up rang throughout the area. Jason looked in the rear view mirrors to make sure he was on the right track. He saw Azi standing outside the gun shop's front door, backing him up. The truck came to a stop as Azi furiously waved his hands for Jason to stop. He pushed in the air brakes for the truck and the trailer and got out, putting the truck in high idle. He looked cautiously around the street then ran to the front of the shop.

"It's locked." Malcolm said.

Jason just looked at the boy. He could be so naïve. Jason pointed his RX4 at the glass doors and fired, shattering the glass.

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Jason grinned at the boy.

Hannah just shook her head. "May we get the guns now?" She asked.

"Yes, lets." Tobias said impatiently. Trip growled at the man, not liking him one bit.

"Come on Trip, leave him alone." Jason said. Trip stopped growling and walked next to Jason as he kicked out the remnants of the shop's door. He whistled as he walked inside. Immediately he heard scuffling toward the back of the shop. He sighed, these things were everywhere. He looked through the scope at the back of the shop. Finding the zombie moving behind some clothing racks, he waited… and waited… _Bang! _Blood erupted like a geyser and splattered on the wall. Jason looked around but didn't see anything more.

"It should be safe now guys!" He called out to the others.

Hannah, Malcolm, Azi, and Tobias walked into the shop. Hannah was holding Azi's M16A2, Tobias had his .270 caliber hunting rifle, Malcolm had his .22, and Azi had his Zastava M76 in his hands and his Rasheed carbine on his back. Jason was carrying his Beretta RX4 Storm in his hands and was carrying his Remington on his back. On his hip were his Beretta 87 and LAR Grizzly handguns. They make a quick sweep of the shop, double checking for any zombies or people. When they were finished Jason began giving out instructions.

"Tobias and Malcolm, you two start getting clips, holsters, vests, and other clothes we could use. Azi, you start gathering all the ammo you can, we should be able to get it all. Hannah, you'll help me get the guns." When Jason finished Tobias and Malcolm walked over to the clothes, Azi went to get ammo, while Jason and Hannah went behind the counter. Jason gazed at the rifles.

"Wow, the new 700 caliber AHR. Black power, muzzle loading, good for big game. That is definitely coming with us." Jason smashed the butt of his gun through the glass of several gun cases to allow access to the rifles. Hannah copied him, gaining access to the handguns in the counter. An hour later they had completely cleaned out the store. Even all the knives, hunting bows, and other hunting supplies were loaded in the trailer. The group separated the guns into their different types, and then calibers.

When they were finished, Jason still had his RX4 and Remington on his back, but under his jackets he wore a double shoulder holster, each with a Colt Double Eagle. On his hips he wore his LAR Grizzly and Beretta 87. On his left calf, he had a Springfield XD, and on his right calf he wore a military K-Bar knife.

Hannah still carried the M16A2, but had a black Browning BDM on her hip. She had put on a camouflage vest with two extra clips for both the M16A2 and the Browning.

Malcolm traded his .22 for a .270 and had gotten a holster for the ASP Azi had given him. He wore a camouflage jacket and beanie.

Tobias still had his .270, but had been given the other M16A2. On his calf he wore a Magnum Desert Eagle. He had on a black vest with three extra clips for the Desert Eagle and .270, and on his hip he had two clips for the M16A2.

Azi still had his Rasheed carbine in his hands and the Dragunov sniper rifle on his back. He wore his Sphinx 2000 on his hip. He had not changed any of his clothes. He still wore a plain red shirt and jeans.

"Now we need the food, clothes, parts for the semi, spare tires, a tire repair kit, and we need to get some armor on the truck and the trailer." Jason said.

"Parts for the truck, tires, a repair kit, and armor?" Azi asked incredulously.

"Haven't you read that book yet?" Jason asked him.

"Of course not. I have not the chance to read it."

Jason shook his head. "You need to read it in order to understand the method behind my madness. Now let's go get the rest of the supplies."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_DING!_ A bell chimed as Jason cautiously slipped through the front door of a clothing store with Hannah behind him. He scanned the room and relaxed when there was no sign of zombies.

"Hannah, you have the shirt and pants sized for Malcolm and Azi right?" Jason asked.

"Yes I do. I'll start looking for the clothes." Hannah said.

"Stay sharp. I'll check the back." Jason said as he walked to the back.

"Stay safe, Jason." Hannah said quietly as she walked to the nearest women's clothing rack.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Azi, Malcolm, and Tobias walked in the corner food mart. They past counters, some covered with blood. Azi and Tobias each grabbed a cart.

"These are the food items we need." Azi said as he handed Tobias a list. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"Yeah. Yeah I think so." Tobias said.

"Good. The canned goods look like they are in aisle 7." Azi said as he walked the opposite direction.

Tobias shook his head as he took off to aisle 7. _'This old guy is crazy.'_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Jason opened the door to the back of the clothing store and looked around. It was dark in the back and he had to let his eyes adjust. As he stood there, he could hear crunching, like a predator eating its prey. Immediately his Remington was up. When his eyes adjusted, he looked around. He saw blood on the floor and on the corner of a wood crate. The corner of the crate had remnants of flesh and bone. _'Maybe some poor fellow tried to get away, but either slipped, pushed, or tackled into this crate. Either way the poor fellow ended up dead instead of undead. He or she is better off that way.'_ He thought as he walked toward the sounds. He came around the corner and saw two zombies feasting on the body of an older man. The man's head was caved inward in the shape of the crate corner.

Jason fired at one zombie, blood spraying over the second, who hissed and turned to run away, but had its head disintegrate as Jason fired again. Jason shook himself. _'Nasty little vermin.'_ He thought. He continued searching the storage area, but he came up empty. He walked to the back entrance of the store, the door was wide open. He glanced out into the alleyway and looked around. He again got the chills of being watched as he scanned the alley and the buildings beyond. He backed into the store, shut the door, and locked it. Then, as a cautionary measure, be dragged several of the wood crates and placed them in front of the door, effectively blocking it. Satisfied with his work, he headed back to the front of the store. As he came into the store, he looked around.

"Hannah?" Jason called out, but received no answer.

"Shit, Hannah?" He called louder.

"I'm over here!" Hannah said coming into view and waving him over.

"Fuck, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Don't- never mind. Just answer the first time I call next-"Jason stopped. He came into view and his jaw dropped as he looked at Hannah. She had changed into a pair of tight, low cut, hip-hugging jeans, a blue top that exposed her slightly muscular abdomen, a plain black jacket, and black sneakers.

Hannah blushed under his gaze. "The next time you what, Jason?"

Jason shook himself. "The next time I call for you."

She nodded her head. "Okay. I understand. You were worried about me."

"No it's not that, it's just that I would have to tell Azi what happened, and I don't want him getting pissed off at me." _'No you fucktard, you were worried.'_

She looked a little disappointed. "Oh, of course. You just don't want to have to tell Azi what would have happened. I get it."

"No, I mean- I just- never mind. I'm going to look for some clothes." Jason walked off.

Hannah gave a little grin as she picked up her new clothes.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Azi looked at the various cans of stew that lay before him. _'Should I get the Beef and Potato, or the Vegetable with Beef?'_

"Come on Azi; just toss as much in the cart as you can!" Malcolm said annoyed.

"Patience young one. The best food will be chosen." Azi said calmly.

"We don't have time for patience! Even I understand that!" Malcolm said.

"But we need the good food."

"No we don't Azi, we just need the food. No good food or bad food, just food."

"At least the kid knows why we're here!" Tobias called from several aisles over.

Azi muttered under his breath. Malcolm shook his head and walked to the end of the aisle. He looked around before making his way down to the snack aisle to get some candy. He let loose a huge grin when he found it and tore down the aisle to reach it. As he stood there thinking about what candy he wanted, he froze. From at the opposite end of the aisle he could hear labored breathing and the sound of blood dripping. Without bothering to look up, Malcolm tore down the aisle, away from the zombie. He could hear he creature snarling.

"Azi!" He screamed in fear as he ran. He reached the end of the aisle and turned, but was pushed to the ground as the zombie crashed into him. He screamed in terror as it went to take a bit out of him. _BANG!_ A shot fired and the zombie fell dead on top of Malcolm. He struggled to get it off of him, whimpering in fear. Azi ran over and pushed the zombie off of him. Malcolm shot up and latched on to the front of Azi's shirt, shaking in fear.

"It is alright Mal'. The creature is dead. Everything is alright." Azi said as he patted the young boy's back.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Jason and Hannah walked out of the clothing store. Jason was pushing and pulling two carts at the same time, while Hannah was pushing one cart.

"This really isn't fair you know." Jason said.

"What isn't fair?" Hannah asked.

"Me, pushing and pulling two carts by myself. I should be watching over you as _you_ get the clothes to the truck."

"And why is that?" Hannah spun around. "Because you're a man?"

"No, I'm just a better shot and I won't hesitate to kill those things, no matter how human they might appear."

"Oh." Hannah went back to pushing the cart to the trailer.

"Aw shit." Jason swore.

"Would you please stop swearing? It's very offensive." Hannah said. "But what are you getting mad about?"

"I don't know where the key to the locks on the trailer are." Jason said.

"I can see where that would normally be a problem, but what about all those extra keys in the cab of the truck? Or on the key ring in the ignition?"

Jason suddenly felt very stupid.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Ah ha! This is the key!" Jason exclaimed.

"It's about time. It's only been ten minutes." Hannah said.

"Going through this many keys takes time."

"And we could have cut that time in half if you had let me help, but your masculinity got in the way." Hannah said.

Hannah heard Jason mutter something about impatient women under his breath but ignored him. She smiled as she saw Azi emerge from the grocery store, but the smile quickly faded as she saw that Malcolm's shirt was bloody.

"Oh my God, Malcolm! What happened?" She asked Azi.

"The boy took off get some sweets and happened upon one of those things. It chased him down, but I killed it before it could de any damage."

"Good thing you did, because if it bit him, we would be forced to kill him." Jason said as he opened the trailer door.

As he opened the door, he saw the inside of the trailer for the first time. It was empty and he could see that in the front there was a 10 foot long deck that dropped about 4 feet to the floor. The floor rose up 2 feet after 23 feet into another deck that was 20 feet long. The left side of the trailer had one door on the first deck and one in the belly, while the right side had 2 doors in the belly and one door on the back deck and the large back doors. The floor was wood while the walls were made of a rather weak wood that were placed between large pieces of metal that had small, rectangular holes that straps could be hooked into. These pieces of metal ran from the floor on one side, up the wall, across the ceiling, and down the opposite side to the floor. There were large padded blankets that stood in large stacks up to 6 ½ feet high. There were 8 stacks total.

He heard Hannah gasp. "Why would you do that? There wouldn't be any need for that!"

"Haven't you been paying attention? When a zombie bites you, you become one of them. No if's, and's, or but's. The only way to kill a zombie is to put a bullet through its head or destroy the head."

The group was silent.

"If anyone gets bit, it is your job to put a bullet through your head, and if you fail to do that, trust me when I say that I will not. Now start handing me those carts."

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:43 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

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_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:09 am**_

_**Thompson Mansion, Georgia**_

_Crunch, crunch. _That was the sound that echoed throughout the kitchen as Don munched happily on a turkey sandwich.

"Did your dad have any guns?" 'Raf asked Rhyaan.

"Yeah. Yeah I think he did. In the master bedroom closet." Rhyaan replied.

"Are they kept in a safe?" He asked.

"Yeah. I don't know the pass code though. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." 'Raf said. He looked at Don and Marcus. "Here's what we need to do. We need to go through every room and take out any furniture that can be used to barricade the doors and windows downstairs. Then we'll find out how much food we have. Marcus, you and Don head upstairs and start grabbing the furniture. Headboards, dressers, desks, couches, anything big and bulky."

"Yes, sir." Don snapped to attention and gave a mock salute before walking with Marcus upstairs. 'Raf walked out into the living room, surveying what he had to barricade the house with. He saw a large, two-piece sofa, a love seat, another sofa, and two recliners. Lined up against the wall were bookshelves. There must have been thousands of books on the many bookshelves.

"Rhyaan, I need you to start taking off the books and putting them in a closet or bathroom, somewhere out of the way." 'Raf told the girl. She nodded and began her task. 'Raf dragged the larger of the sofas to the nearby window, where he muscled the end up onto the large windowsill that ran around the room, right underneath the window. After five minutes of looking around and checking, he was able to get the large piece into place with the back to the window. He heard a crash and looked toward the stairs, where a large wood dresser had slid down the stairs.

"It was too heavy to carry down!" He heard Don call out. 'Raf just shook his head.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Upstairs, Don and Marcus were hauling the bulky furniture in the hallway near the stairs.

"So," Don grunted as he lifted one side of a dresser "How old are you kid?"

"I'm nineteen sir." Marcus replied.

"You play sports?"

"Yes sir. I play football."

"What position?"

"I play Offensive Tackle."

"You any good?"

"I got a scholarship to Georgia State to play as an Offensive Tackle."

Don whistled. "You must be pretty good then."

"I try sir."

They walked to the staircase. "It's slipping!" Marcus grunted as he tried to get a better grip on the wood dresser.

"Let it go then!"

Marcus jumped to the side and heard the loud crash of the dresser as it hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

"It was too heavy to carry down!" Don shouted down the stairs. Marcus shook his head at the cowboy.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Twenty minutes later, all the bulky furniture was downstairs, with the exception of four mattresses that were laid out in several different rooms. Marcus and 'Raf had just put a dresser up on the windowsill, effectively blocking the windows. They had already put the sofa pieces in front of the back doors and moved pieces to block the staircase to the last floor of the tower. 'Raf panted as he collapsed against a wall and slid down to the floor. He was tired. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Sure, his parents had died years ago, but he had just lost most of his friends too. If this were a normal day, he would be out with Don finding some way to get them into trouble, just like when they were teenagers.

But instead, God had chosen this day for this 'zombie apocalypse'. He heard the large plasma screen TV burst to life as Rhyaan turned it on.

"_Scientists have no cure-", "People are urged to stay in their homes-", "Do not panic-"_these were just many things that the newscasters kept saying over and over again. The scientists had come up with an official name for the creatures: zombies. Everything matched the description, but in some places they had been acting strange. Normal zombies grouped together in huge masses, but these zombies stuck mostly in packs. Others had been filmed opening doors, or working together to set traps to capture prey. The scientists said they were reverting back to their primal instincts and adapting to their surroundings. Others thought that they had some sort of memory of their former selves. The newscasters had proof of this, or so they think. They thought that a video of a woman not attacking a young boy, who they thought was her son, was proof enough.

'Raf just shook his head.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"There, finally finished." Don said wearily.

"Good. I have some things I want to talk to you all about. Now we're all going to be living together for an unknown amount of time, no matter how hard any of us object. Now, we need to figure out how much food we have in this place, we need to get as much water in containers as possible, and we need to find a way to get that gun safe open." 'Raf said. He had taken a good look at the gun safe. It was six feet wide by six feet high by 8 feet deep. It was virtually a small vault. "Depending on how much food we have, we may need to take a run into town. But we are going to need spare clothes for Don and Marcus."

Marcus looked down at his blood-stained shirt. It was covered in his brother's blood from when Marcus had tried to help him. Don's clothes had blood sprayed on them as well. He had shot a zombie on his way to 'Raf's house. Rhyaan had changed out of her blood-covered pajamas into a pair of loose jeans and a plain pink shirt.

"We also need to decide who gets first watch and how long each watch will be."

"First watch?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, first watch. One of us needs to be up in that tower at all times. Now I say each watch should last at least four hours."

"But why do we need to keep watch?" Marcus asked.

"So we know if anyone, living or undead is coming our way." 'Raf said. "Now, Don, if you wouldn't mind taking first watch?"

"Sure, no problem." Don said as he picked up his Winchester and M77 Hawkeye.

"Take these with you." 'Raf said as he tossed Don a pair of binoculars. "Now you'll be able to keep a better watch on the woods."

As Don disappeared, 'Raf turned back to the others. "Rhyaan, I want you to start gathering up all the food you can, except for refrigerated food, and put it in the living room. Marcus, you and I are going to start cleaning up the blood and the bodies."

Marcus paled at what was to come.

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**11:05 am**_

_**Thompson Mansion, Georgia**_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**10:48 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

With the help of Tobias, Jason pulled the last cart of food up into the trailer and secured the carts to the sides of the trailer. Malcolm had found some straps that hooked into the metal holes and he used those to keep the carts from moving anywhere.

"Good, I think that's plenty of food for all of us for at least two to three weeks." He told the group.

As Jason jumped out of the trailer Trip started barking down the street.

"Jason, look!" Malcolm pointed, scared.

Jason looked up and saw three zombies walking in the street, and when Trip started barking they looked up at the group and broke into a fast run.

"Shit!" Jason said as he brought up his Beretta RX4 Storm and fired three quick shots, his bullets tearing through the zombies' skulls.

"Everyone get inside, quick! There are probably more around and heading this way!" Jason said. No sooner had he spoken when they heard the distant howling and snarling coming closer at a disturbing pace.

As soon as Tobias, Hannah, and Malcolm ran inside Jason knelt on the steps leading up to the building and Azi took up a position inside the front door.

"Now we wait." Jason said. They didn't have to wait long. In less than a minute the first zombie, a female jogger wearing bloodstained clothes. Jason saw that her left arm was gnawed to the bone and she had a large portion of her right shoulder blown off, most likely from a shotgun. She took only a few steps into the road before a quarter- sized hole appeared in her forehead and she dropped to the ground with a thud. Following close behind her were the citizens of Evergreen. They charged into the street, growling, hissing, and snarling as they ran towards the men near the building.

Jason and Azi fired, but it seemed that for every zombie that was killed, two more took its place. Jason killed eight more when he called out to Azi.

"We need to get inside before they overrun us!" Jason called out.

Azi nodded and fired two more rounds before darting inside, down the hall. Jason ran inside and slammed the door as the first of the zombies reached the stairs to the apartment building. Not wasting any time, Jason bolted down the hall and shut the door to the stairwell and proceeded to run upstairs. He and Azi ran up to the third floor where Jason said:

"We need to get some sort of a barricade up." He said as he opened an apartment door.

"We could use sofas to block off the stairs." Azi said as he began to drag a couch out of the apartment. He and Jason picked the couch up and walked to the stairs, where they tossed it unceremoniously down the stairs. They repeated the process with several more couches before running up to the fourth floor and repeated the same thing they had done on the third floor. When they were done, they brought out three dressers and a desk and put placed them in front of the stairwell. As they crouched behind their hastily built barricade, they could hear the roars and snarls of the undead as they made their way past the first barricade.

Jason looked at Azi. "If I get bit and for some reason I can't pull the trigger, I want you to put a nickel in my jukebox." He tapped the side of his head.

"Let us hope it does not come to that." Azi said as he wiped his brow and steadied his carbine.

"Yeah, let's hope."

As they sat there, Jason tried in vain to block out the chilling noises coming fast up the stairs at the end of the hall. A minute later the first zombie, a little blonde-haired girl, no older than eight wearing a blood-stained blue dress, tumbled off of one of the couches in the stairs. When she stood up, she hissed and ran at the two men behind the dressers. Or at least, she tried to. A crack of an RX4 echoed throughout the hallway and a single spent casing fell to the floor beside Jason. A single tear ran down the battle-hardened man's cheek as more zombies came crashing to the ground as they made their way past the barricade. As they made to stand up, they fell to the ground one final time, this time they were truly dead.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Hannah paced back and forth in the living room of Tobias' apartment. Below them, she could hear the constant sounds of gunfire and snarls.

"Would you stop doing that?" Tobias asked annoyed. Hannah rounded on him.

"You should be down there helping them!" She snapped angrily.

"I'm up here protecting you and the boy!" Tobias said in defense.

"You could be doing a better job of that down there!"

"But Jason told me to get you two up here!" Hannah shook her head.

"So why didn't you go down there after you got us up here?"

"Because I-"He trailed off, not able to find an answer.

"Well I can't just sit here." Hannah said as she walked to the wall where the guns stood against the wall. She grabbed Jason's M249 SAW and two extra belts and walked to the door. Before she could walk out, Tobias grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm going down to help them. You can sit here like a coward, but I refuse to sit here and let them die." She pulled her arm from his grasp and walked out of the door, slamming it behind her.

Tobias shouted as he kicked over a chair. "Damn it!"

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Fucking hell!" Jason shouted as he smashed the butt of his RX4 in the face of a zombie that managed to get close. It had almost been too late when Jason had noticed the creature getting ready to take a chunk out of his arm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Azi drop his carbine and pull out his own Sphinx 2000 and continue firing. Jason was nearing the end of his clip, and he had only one more full clip with him. He spun around, pointing the muzzle of his rifle right at Hannah's chest.

"What the hell are you doing down here!?" He shouted as he spun around, firing a bullet right through a zombie's eye, sending the bullet straight through its brain.

"I thought you could use some help!" Hannah shouted back.

"Get your ass back upstairs!" He roared. The zombies had made their way past the mound of their brethren lying in the hall and were almost to them.

"No! You need my help!"

"Then give me that god damn gun!" Jason grabbed the SAW from Hannah and cocked the large machine gun, prepping it for fire.

"Get down!" Jason roared as he brought up the SAW.

The gun sounded like a cannon in such an enclosed area. The 5.56mm bullets tearing through flesh, muscle, and bone like they were paper.

"GET DOWN!!" Jason roared. The muzzle flashed as Jason pulled the trigger. The roar of the M249 was deafening as the 5.56mm bullets tore through the zombies, tearing through flesh, muscle, and bone like they were paper. The zombies pushed past the bodies only to be torn up by the machine gun. Half a minute later Jason let go of the trigger. Hannah dropped her hands from the side of her head, her ears still ringing. She saw Jason put down the M249 and draw his Grizzly. He jumped over the barricade and walked down the hall, looking for any surviving zombies. She heard several shots before Jason called out to her.

"It's all clear. The supplies for the semi will have to wait. You go and get Tobias and Malcolm and bring them out to the truck. Azi and I will clear the way. We're getting the hell out of here."

_**Tuesday, April 29**__**th**__**, 2008**_

_**11:05 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

OoOoOoOoOoO


	5. Chapter 5

**The Last Days**

_**Chapter 5**_

**Last time:**

_**Tuesday, April 29th, 2008**_

_**11:05 am**_

_**Evergreen, Virginia**_

"_GET DOWN!!" Jason roared. The muzzle flashed as Jason pulled the trigger. The roar of the M249 was deafening as the 5.56mm bullets tore through the zombies, tearing through flesh, muscle, and bone like they were paper. The zombies pushed past the bodies only to be torn up by the machine gun. Half a minute later Jason let go of the trigger. Hannah dropped her hands from the side of her head, her ears still ringing. She saw Jason put down the M249 and draw his Grizzly. He jumped over the barricade and walked down the hall, looking for any surviving zombies. She heard several shots before Jason called out to her._

"_It's all clear. The supplies for the semi will have to wait. You go and get Tobias and Malcolm and bring them out to the truck. Azi and I will clear the way. We're getting the hell out of here."_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Tuesday, April 29th, 2008**_

_**11:05 am**_

_**Thompson Mansion, Georgia**_

"_First watch?" Marcus asked._

"_Yes, first watch. One of us needs to be up in that tower at all times. Now I say each watch should last at least four hours."_

"_But why do we need to keep watch?" Marcus asked._

"_So we know if anyone, living or undead is coming our way." 'Raf said. "Now, Don, if you wouldn't mind taking first watch?"_

"_Sure, no problem." Don said as he picked up his Winchester and M77 Hawkeye._

"_Take these with you." 'Raf said as he tossed Don a pair of binoculars. "Now you'll be able to keep a better watch on the woods."_

_As Don disappeared, 'Raf turned back to the others. "Rhyaan, I want you to start gathering up all the food you can, except for refrigerated food, and put it in the living room. Marcus, you and I are going to start cleaning up the blood and the bodies."_

_Marcus paled at what was to come._

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Georgia**_

Marcus groaned as he stood from his spot on the floor. Over the last four hours he had been in charge of cleaning up all of the blood and gore. 'Raf had taken care of the zombies' bodies. They had been taken to the backyard where 'Raf had burned them. Marcus had thrown up at the smell.

"You done yet kid?" 'Raf asked as he walked over.

"I am now." Marcus replied as he tossed the bloody rag into a bucket.

"Good. It's your watch now. Head upstairs and tell Don to hurry up, I need his help with the gunsafe."

Marcus grumbled as he stood up and shed the plastic that covered his body. He had cut up several garbage bags and put them on. He has used duck tape on the overlapping plastic to make sure that no blood got through. He emptied the bucket of bloody water in the toilet and grabbed his Kel-tec SU-16 as he went up the stairs. He opened the door too the sixth floor and looked around. He saw Don on the deck that went around the entire tower through a window. Marcus walked out onto the deck.

"Hey Don." Marcus greeted the older man.

"Hey Kid." Don nodded to Marcus. "You need something?"

"It's my shift now." Don's face brightened.

"Finally!" Don whooped and did a little jig where he stood, making Marcus sweatdrop. "And 'Raf says he needs your help with opening the gunsafe."

"Thanks Kid." Don clapped Marcus on the shoulder and walked to the door. Before he stepped inside he turned to Marcus.

"Have fun Marcus." He said in a creepy tone. Then he disappeared into the tower. Marcus shook his head before grabbing the binoculars and looked around the property.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Free at last!" Don cried as he ran to the kitchen.

"You're a pig Don." Rhyaan said from her place at the table.

The man shrugged as he pulled out meat, condiments, and bread. He placed everything on the counter and began making his sandwich when 'Raf walked in.

"I need your help Don."

"I already told you, there aren't any doctors I know of who can help you with _that _face." Don smirked.

"Haha, real funny smartass. I need you upstairs."

"And I also told you I'm not gay."

"Don, seriously!" 'Raf snapped. "Hurry up with your sandwich and get your lazy ass upstairs! I need help opening that safe." 'Raf spun around and walked away.

"You can be a real dick, you know?" Rhyaan commented.

"Nah, 'Raf just needs to get laid every once in a while." Don said as he took a bite of his newly made sandwich. He moaned as he chewed. "God, it's like my taste buds are having an orgasm!"

Rhyaan made a disgusted face. "That's just wrong." She pushed her food away. "I've lost my appetite."

Don just happily ate his sandwich.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Are you sure you don't remember the code?" 'Raf asked.

"For the last time: I'M SURE OF IT!!" Rhyaan shouted the last part.

"Could you be any louder?" Don rubbed his ears. "I don't think the Russians heard you."

"Could you be any more of a smartass?!" Rhyaan shouted again.

"Would you like to find out?" Rhyaan threw up her hands and shrieked.

"I can't be in here anymore!" she stormed out of the large room, leaving 'Raf and Don alone.

"Do you have to be so annoying?" Don frowned at his friend.

"Right now, the only thing keeping me from freaking out is being annoying. I mean think about it. All of our friends and family are dead. Everyone we knew is _dead_." Don said, completely serious.

'Raf sighed. "I know Don. We're all trying not to think about it. We need to be here for each other, to help each other. Not to be annoying smartasses." They both chuckled at the last part before Don looked at the ceiling.

"You know, I was listening to the radio while I was in the tower. The scientists say that two thirds of the human population is zombies. Two thirds 'Raf. That's over four billion. _Four billion_. The U.S. alone has over a billion. So right now, there are hundreds of thousands of zombies running around out there." He pointed out the window. "And we don't know how many survivors there are."

"You know, while I was stationed in Iraq, I was sent on a recon mission. There were three other guys with me on that mission. We were sent deep into the Al Qaeda's territory. On our way back we were ambushed. We managed to get away with minimal injuries, but we failed to get to the rendezvous point. We traveled for several weeks while hiding from the terrorists. We had run out of supplies by the end of the second week so one of the men, Captain Davis, volunteered to run into a nearby town to get more supplies. He never came back. We had no choice but to leave and continue. We were found by a Canadian helicopter a week later."

"What happened to Davis?"

"We found out that he had been captured, and then beaten for information. In the end he was beheaded denying them any information. They sent the video to one of our bases, where it was then sent to us." Don looked at 'Raf who had a hollow look in his eyes.

"What's the point of the story?" Don asked quietly.

"That no matter how hard things get, you need to keep going."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Kentucky**_

Three pairs of eyes stared at each other from their places around the table. A pair of green eyes light up as he looked at his cards. A pair of dark brown eyes watched worriedly as a pair of bright blue eyes stared at his cards. The man with the green eyes smirked and lay down his cards.

"Read 'em and weep boys!" Tobias grinned. "Look at this flush baby!"

Azi sighed in disappointment as he lay down his cards. "I only have two pair."

Tobias and Azi had been teaching Malcolm to play poker. Malcolm looked at the two men before glancing back to his cards.

"Is this any good?" He asked as he lay down his cards. Tobias' jaw dropped.

"A full house?!" Tobias screeched.

"Is it a good hand?" Malcolm asked curiously.

"Yes Mal' it is a good hand. You just won the round." Azi ruffled Malcolm's hair.

Malcolm grinned. "Really? I won?" Azi nodded as Tobias stared at the cards in shock.

Malcolm jumped up from his seat and shook Hannah's shoulder. "Hannah! Hannah! I won!"

Hannah smiled and patted his head. "You did a good job." The boy turned to Jason, who smirked at the boy who was radiating happiness.

"Good job kid. Maybe later I'll show you how to _really _play poker."

Malcolm was bouncing up and down like a madman. "Really? You'll teach me to how to really play?"

"Sure, it won't be a problem." Jason laughed as Malcolm went in the back to play cards.

"He really looks up to you. I can see it already." Hannah said as she stared out the window.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked as he drifted to the side, crushing yet another zombie.

"Malcolm's dad was never there all the time. He worked for a large business company, so he traveled a lot. Mr. Curtis missed many Christmases, thanksgivings, birthdays, and family events. Malcolm has never really had a father figure in his life. He's only really had Azi, but he's more of a grandfather figure. You saving us, that made a real impression on him."

Jason made an 'hn' sound. He looked over and saw Hannah staring at him.

"What?" He asked.

"It's nothing." She looked away, a slight blush forming on her delicate features.

'_She is kind of cute.' _Jason thought, but as soon as the thought showed up, it was crushed and thrown to the side.

The only noise heard for several minutes was Malcolm cheering as he won yet another round of poker, while Trip barked several times. Finally, Jason broke the silence.

"I moved around a lot when I was a kid. My dad was in the Marines so we never really stayed in one place for too long. I remember when I was eleven; he was shipped out to Kuwait because of Desert Storm. He never came back." He sighed. "My mother, she never remarried. After my dad died I never had a real father figure in my life. But I wanted to honor his name, so I joined the Marines."

"You were in the military?"

Jason chuckled. "Why do you think I have access to those guns I brought?"

Silence.

"My father died in Germany when I was six. My parents had been planning on moving to America. My mother decided to move to America after he died." She looked over to Jason. "You, me, and Malcolm; we're a lot alike. We all have lost our fathers at a young age."

More silence.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"Hannah." Malcolm poked her arm. No response.

"Hannah." He poked more forcefully. No response.

"Hannah!" Malcolm shouted as he shook her. Again no response. Trip placed his front paws on the arm rest and licked her face. She bolted upright.

"What's going on?" She asked frightened.

"We had to stop." Malcolm told her.

Hannah looked around. "Where's Jason?"

"He's talking to the soldiers outside."

"What?" Hannah asked confused.

_Flashback_

"_What the hell?" Jason muttered under his breath. Ahead of him was a military blockade. They had the on ramps, off ramps, and both sides of the highway blocked off. Off of the exit he could see a truck stop that was over run with military vehicles. Soldiers were running around like ants on full alert. Around the blockade were piles and piles of corpses. As he drew closer, several soldiers signaled for him to stop._

"_Sir, we need you to head up to the truck stop and sign in with the commander. You will turn over your vehicle and whatever supplies you have. Failure to comply will be met with deadly force."_

"_Who is your commanding officer?" Jason asked. The back of the cab had become very quiet. He glanced to the side and saw Hannah asleep in her seat._

"_The commanding officer is Colonel Robert Neilson." Jason gritted his teeth, reining in his anger._

"_Fine, we'll _comply_." Jason said. He drove the semi up the on ramp and into the parking lot. He parked the large vehicle and turned it off._

"_Azi, Tobias. I need you two to come with me. Malcolm, you stay here and tell Hannah what's going on if she wakes up." They nodded and the three men hopped out of the semi. Several solders walked over to them._

"_Hand over the keys to the semi and any guns you may have."__A lieutenant said._

"_We don't have any guns. As for the keys, you can kiss my ass." Jason replied in a hostile tone._

_The solders raised their rifles. "Sir. Hand over the keys _now_." The lieutenant said forcefully._

"_What's your name kid?" Jason asked._

"_I'm Lieutenant Collin Meyers, United States Army." The man said._

"_Lt. Colonel Jason Alexander United States Marine Corps. Retired." He smirked as the men in front of him immediately lowered their rifles and snapped to attention._

"_I'm sorry sir. I didn't know." Meyers said._

"_I know Lt, which is why I won't press for a Court Marshall. Well, that and what's the point? We're all trying to survive here, right?"_

_Meyers nodded. "But sir, we still need your keys."_

"_No kid, you don't. Now get out of my way, I need to talk with Colonel Neilson." Jason pushed past them without any resistance. He walked a few feet before stopping and calling out "And lieutenant, I'll know if you try to get in my semi."_

_End Flashback_

"So where is he now?" Hannah asked.

"He's in talking to the guy in charge of all this." Malcolm said as he gestured to all the soldiers running around.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

While Malcolm and Hannah were talking Jason, Azi, and Tobias were ushered into the manager's office turned military command center. Standing behind the desk was a tall man with brown hair, the sides tinged with gray. He looked up as they entered.

"Good lord. Is that really you Jason?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's really me Rob." Jason said with a chuckle. Rob walked out from behind the desk and pulled Jason into a bear hug.

"Man, I thought you were dead!" Rob exclaimed as he pulled away.

Jason pulled a worn out book from a pocket on his vest. "Reading this too many times is what has kept me alive this long."

Rob laughed as he looked at the title. "The Zombie Survival Guide? That would definitely help out nowadays." Then he stopped laughing as he turned serious. "So why are you here Jason?"

"Some soldiers stopped me and sent me up here. They said to hand over our vehicle and supplies."

Rob rubbed his face and sighed. "Unfortunately, I must follow orders. You and whoever is with you will be given quarters, although there isn't much room."

"Rob, you know just how much of a pain in the ass I can be. I will be in here every day if you follow your orders until my friends and I are released with our vehicle and supplies."

"You know that I can't do that."

"Yes you can. Just turn your head and we'll be on our way."

Rob shook his head. "I_ can't_. I refuse to follow the same route as you."

"The same route as me? I refused to call in an airstrike on a village full of innocent women and children! Then I was thrown into Camp Lejeune for a year all because I was trying to save innocent lives Rob!" Jason was shouting now.

Rob ran a hand through his hair. "Please Rob, please. I'm trying to save these people." He gestured to Tobias and Azi.

"They don't look like they need to be saved."

"What about the ten year old boy and the young woman in the semi we've been traveling in? If they were left alone for an hour, they would most likely be killed. At least when they're with me they have a chance. The best thing to do at this time is to be constantly moving, not sitting around."

Colonel Robert Neilson suddenly felt very old. "Fine, and because you're my friend I'll give you some extra guns and ammo."

Jason smiled. "I could really use a couple machine guns. The extra ammo would be greatly appreciated too."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Hannah jumped out of the truck when she saw Jason, Azi, and Tobias returning to the semi. They were being followed by several soldiers carrying cases of what looked to be ammunition. She heard Jason call out as she drew closer.

"Sleeping Beauty awakens! I was afraid I would have to take the part of Prince Charming and have to kiss you in order to wake you up!" He grinned as she blushed then smacked his arm when he was close.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a smartass." She said quietly.

"You know you missed me." He grinned as he draped an arm around her shoulders, and then grunted as she drove her elbow into his ribs.

"What's with all the metal cases?" Hannah asked.

"They're giving us some extra guns and ammo." Jason said cheerfully. Realization dawned on her. _That _was why he was so happy.

Jason pulled the keys out of his pocket as he walked to the trailer. He opened up one of the side doors and pulled in open, allowing the soldiers to put the cases inside. When they were done Jason closed the door with a slam. When he was done he turned to Rob.

"Why don't you come with us Rob?"

"My men need me here. And besides, it wouldn't look good if I weren't following orders." Jason chuckled then embraced his friend.

"Take care my friend."

"You as well." Then Rob turned to Hannah. "I'm glad you're with him. He needs a good woman to watch after him and keep him out of trouble." He grinned. "You two would make a good couple."

He laughed at their shocked looks and the blushes on both their faces. "You guys had better get out of here. I'll radio the blockade and tell them to let you through."

"Thanks for everything you've done today Rob. I hope we'll see each other again." Jason shook his friend's hand one last time before following Azi, Hannah, and Tobias into the cab. The semi's engine rumbled as the truck pulled away from its parking space. Minutes later it was nothing but a speck down the road.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Georgia**_

'Raf was pissed. He really, _really _wished some of those zombies were around. He and Don had spent nearly three hours trying to open the gunsafe. When they _finally _opened it, there weren't any guns. Just money, birth certificate, check books, and anything else that would normally go in a safe. Except guns.

"God. All that work was for nothing." Don said in disbelief as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Shut up Don." 'Raf snapped.

"Hey calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! We just spent the last three fucking hours trying to open that safe, only to find out there aren't any guns, only things we _don't _need!" 'Raf nearly shouted as he stood up from his seat at the table.

"_Hey guys." _Marcus' voice crackled on the walkie talkie. _"You guys need to see this."_

"What's going now?" 'Raf grumbled.

"_You'd better bring Rhyaan with you too." _Then the radio went silent.

Don grabbed Rhyaan as they followed 'Raf up to the tower. When they reached the top, Marcus handed 'Raf the binoculars and pointed towards a small shack near the edge of the property. The shack was surrounded by a ten foot tall chain link fence with barbed wire on the top.

"What am I looking at?" 'Raf asked.

"I think it's a guard shack." Marcus replied.

"Are you talking about the guard's quarters?" Rhyaan asked.

"I think so." Marcus turned to her. "Why do you guys have guard quarters here?"

"The guard's shifts are four days. So, naturally, they need a place to sleep at night." Rhyaan said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you guys have guard dogs?" 'Raf asked out of the blue.

"Yes, why?"

"Because I can see some dog kennels and it looks like the dogs are still alive."

"So what?" Don asked.

"Having dogs in the house would alert us if any zombies got close. Or if we have any unwanted company." 'Raf said as he put down the binoculars. "I'll go and get them."

"I'll come with you." Don said.

"No. You stay here and make sure none of those things get the drop on me. I can't be looking everywhere at once." Don nodded.

"Then I'll come with you." Rhyaan spoke up.

"Seriously?" 'Raf asked incredulously.

"Seriously. I love those dogs! Besides, they'll recognize me. It wouldn't be good if a stranger walked up to four very well trained guard dogs and tried to get them to come with him." 'Raf shrugged.

"Fine. Don, give her your Hawkeye." Don nodded and handed the rifle to the girl.

"Right. Let's go."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The walk to the shack was uneventful. 'Raf ran up to the side of the small building and waved at Rhyaan, who was standing in the open, to follow him. He walked over to the window and peeked in.

Only to move immediately to avoid a bloodied hand burst through the window, glass flying everywhere.

"Shit!" 'Raf exclaimed as he rolled away from the building. He rolled to his feet and fired several shots through the now broken window. He heard the thud of a body and slowly walked to the window. He looked in and saw a body dressed in a guard's uniform with most of his head missing, due to the Mossberg.

He glanced at the room and saw a closed door with light shining from underneath. He could see a figure moving around.

"Rhyaan, get over here!" he called out. He looked back at the closed door when he heard banging and snarling. "Fuck… Rhyaan, we've got to get the dogs _now_!" He could hear the cheap wood of the door begin to crack and splinter.

"The gate needs a key!" Rhyaan shouted from the other side of the building.

"Stupid girl!" 'Raf muttered as he ran as fast as he could with his limp. When he reached Rhyaan he pushed her out of the way before aiming at the lock and firing.

"There, now get the dogs!" Rhyaan ran in and opened up the kennels.

"Hey there boys!" She petted the four Doberman's who wagged their tails and licked her hands.

"You got them out yet?" She heard 'Raf call out.

"Yeah I do!" She yelled then turned back to the dogs. "Come on boys!" The Doberman's followed her as she ran from the kennels, past 'Raf, and started up the hill to the mansion, 'Raf running behind her. As he ran, 'Raf heard the door give way and heard the snarls. He wasn't too worried about the zombie getting out, at least until he heard the sound of breaking glass and the thud of a body. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the zombie running at him.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!!" 'Raf shouted before grabbing his radio. "Don, you there? Pick up the god damn radio!"

"_I'm here 'Raf, what do you need?" _Don asked.

"Well, there's a fucking zombie _right behind me!_" 'Raf shouted the last part. He had barely put his radio in his pocket when he heard the bark of a rifle and the thud of a body. He looked up at the tower and flipped Don the bird before continuing up to the mansion.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Don and Marcus had been standing on the deck chatting about random things when 'Raf began shouting at them over the radio. Don picked it up and listened.

"_Don, you there? Pick up the god damn radio!" _'Raf shouted.

"I'm here 'Raf, what do you need?" Don asked calmly.

"_Well, there's a fucking zombie _right behind me!_" _'Raf shouted.

"Damn it." Don muttered before picking up his rifle. He quickly located the zombie, who was only a few feet behind 'Raf, and fired. He watched as the bullet tore through the top of the zombie's skull.

"Bulls eye!" Don whooped in triumph before looking through the binoculars at 'Raf. He growled when he saw the short man flipping him off.

"Ungrateful little bastard." Don growled.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

'Raf sighed in boredom as he looked at his watch. _10:37_ pm. _'Only twenty three more minutes before I can go wake up Don and go to sleep.' _'Raf thought as he resumed watching the property. He walked around the deck and looked out over the house and dropped his rifle in shock. Coming up the long driveway were four vehicles. He quickly grabbed his radio.

"Don! Don! Wake up!"

"_Whadda ya want 'Raf?" _Don asked annoyed.

"We've got some visitors coming up the driveway!"

"_Well shit."_

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Kentucky**_

Jason cursed as the low fuel light came on. He looked over at Azi who was asleep in the passenger seat and shook him.

"Hey old man. Wake up."

Azi cracked open his eyes and glared at Jason. "It had better be good if you're waking me up at this time of night." He pointed at the clock that read _10:30 _pm.

"We're running low on fuel. I need to stop at the next place that would sell fuel."

"So why are you telling me?"

"Because, I need someone to keep an eye out for zombies." Azi nodded in understanding.

"What about everyone else?"

"We should wake them up, just in case they need to use the bathroom or something." Azi nodded again before standing up and going to the back to wake the others up. Jason could hear them grumbling about being woken up as Azi explained to them what was going on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hannah sit in the passenger seat.

"Good evening ma'am." Jason chuckled at the dark look Hannah gave him.

"How are you not tired? You've been driving all day, not to mention all the fighting you did this morning."

"I'm use to not getting very much sleep. Blame it on my time in the Marines." He chuckled again as Hannah shook her head and moved around in the seat to get in a more comfortable position. Within minutes he could hear her slow breathing, indicating that she'd gone back to sleep.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Jason slowly pulled up to the pumps at what looked like an abandoned gas station. He grabbed his Beretta RX4 Storm before slowly opening the door. He fired several shots, downing the few zombies that were around the near empty parking lot and waking up his companions in the cab. He climbed out of the cab, followed by Azi, Tobias, Hannah, and Malcolm.

"Alright. Azi and I will fill up the tanks while you guys fill up the empty gas cans, then we'll all go inside." Everyone nodded sleepily before grabbing the empty gas cans from out of the trailer and filling them up, killing the occasional zombie that decided to head in their direction. Fifteen minutes later the tanks and cans were full as everyone walked to the doors. Jason walked in first, followed by Azi. They walked around, scanning the aisles but didn't find anything.

"It's clear. You guys can come on in." Jason said as he waved at them.

"Jason!" Hannah called out. He looked confused at Hannah and Malcolm's shocked and scared expressions before he turned around and came face to face with the barrel of a rifle.

_BANG!_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Last Days**

_**Chapter 6**_

**Last time:**

_**Georgia**_

'_Raf sighed in boredom as he looked at his watch._ 10:37 _pm._ 'Only twenty three more minutes before I can go wake up Don and go to sleep._' __'Raf thought as he resumed watching the property. He walked around the deck and looked out over the house and dropped his rifle in shock. Coming up the long driveway were four vehicles. He quickly grabbed his radio._

"_Don! Don! Wake up!"_

"Whadda ya want 'Raf?"_Don asked annoyed._

"_We've got some visitors coming up the driveway!"_

"Well shit."

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Kentucky**_

"_Alright. Azi and I will fill up the tanks while you guys fill up the empty gas cans, then we'll all go inside." Everyone nodded sleepily before grabbing the empty gas cans from out of the trailer and filling them up, killing the occasional zombie that decided to head in their direction. Fifteen minutes later the tanks and cans were full as everyone walked to the doors. Jason walked in first, followed by Azi. They walked around, scanning the aisles but didn't find anything._

"_It's clear. You guys can come on in." Jason said as he waved at them._

"_Jason!" Hannah called out. He looked confused at Hannah and Malcolm's shocked and scared expressions before he turned around and came face to face with the barrel of a rifle._

BANG!

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Georgia**_

'Raf, Don, Marcus, and Rhyaan were helping the people from the vehicles inside the mansion. There had been two cars, an SUV, and a U-Haul truck. There were twenty six people total from the vehicles. Of those twenty six, seven had bites or scratches while the rest were unharmed. So far, 'Raf had only met six people, Kim Nicholson, Jack and Darren Hodgins, Marshall Gunther, Nick Calhoon, and Charlie Stevenson.

Kim Nicholson was a 25 year old nurse who worked at the local hospital. She was about 5' 4" and had blonde hair that reached mid back and had a slender body.

Jack and Darren Hodgins were twins. They were 6' 3" and were 28 years old. They had short brown hair and while Darren had a goatee, Jack had no facial hair. Jack worked as a mechanic while Darren was an electrician.

Marshall Gunther was a bear of a man. He was an older man, around 63, and stood at a whopping 6' 10". He worked as a carpenter and lumberjack. He had grey hair and a thick, grey beard.

Nick Calhoon was a short, scrawny man who was only 5' 2" and wore glasses. He was 25 and worked at the bank as an accountant.

Charlie Stevenson, whose real name was actually Charlene, was 28 and owned the local gun range. She was 5' 7" and had an athletic build. She had long brown hair in a ponytail under a straw cowboy hat.

As 'Raf, Don, Marcus, Jack, Darren, Marshall, and Nick helped bring the injured people in the mansion, Kim, with help from Rhyaan and Charlie, were running around checking up on the injured people and making sure everyone else was okay. Finally, after twenty minutes, everyone was inside. Everyone that was injured was placed in the living room on any spare blankets Rhyaan could find. Medical supplies were all over the room as Kim ran from patient to patient making sure they would be alright.

'Raf stood with Marshall, Jack, and Darren in the kitchen.

"So you want to tell me exactly what happened?" 'Raf asked Marshall.

"Well, it all started this yesterday morning." Marshall began. "I was out in my barn working on a table when I heard screams comin' from the neighbor's house. I grabbed my shotgun and headed over to check up on poor Sally. Her husband beat her regularly, you see? It wouldn't have been the first time I had to help the poor girl out. Anyway, I got there and found her husband, Dillon, eatin' the girl! I tried to talk to him, but he attacked me. I shot at 'im, but it didn't do anything to slow him down until I shot 'im in the head. That's what killed him. Then poor Sally seemed to wake up, but she attacked me too! I was forced to kill her too." He said sadly.

"When I got home, I turned on the television and saw the news. These creatures were all over the place! I locked all my doors and windows before locking myself on the second floor. I made sure to grab all the guns and ammunition I could, then I just sat on my roof. About midday, a truck came up the driveway. It was little Charlie. The girl is like a granddaughter to me. I got down and we headed to the hospital thinking it would be safe. Boy was we wrong. When we got there, people were running all over the place. Some of 'em were already bitten, others had already turned. We managed to get some people to the cars and get away. We hunkered down at the church 'til nightfall. We were drivin' down the road when we saw the lights from this place." Marshall took a deep breath. "And boy is I glad we decided to stop here."

'Raf smiled. "I am too. It was getting pretty lonely with just us four here."

"Tell him about the ones that got bit Marshall." Darren told the manbear. Marshall nodded.

"The ones I seen that got bit, end up turning in the next few hours. Those ones out there" He pointed to the living room "We're bit when we ran from the church. I reckon they'll turn before the night is through."

'Raf thought hard about what he now had to do. He shook his head and sighed. "The other people you brought with you aren't going to be happy about what I have to do. Especially that nurse."

Marshall gave a grim nod. "If we don't get rid of them soon, I reckon we just might join 'em."

'Raf nodded. "Well, I'll need you three to come with me, since you know these people." He turned and walked to the living room, Jack, Darren, and Marshall following.

"Hey, nurse! I need to talk to you." 'Raf called out. Kim looked up at him before wiping blood off her hands and walking over.

"What do you need? I have patients I need to take care of." She said impatiently.

"Well, it's about your patients." 'Raf said slowly.

"What about them?"

"They will turn into zombies before the night ends. We need to take care of them, or we risk putting the rest of us in danger."

Surprisingly, Kim nodded, albeit slowly. "I understand. While I was at the hospital, just before Marshall showed up, I saw a patient with a bite die, only to get right back up and attack a doctor." She shuddered at the memory. "I understand what needs to be done."

"I'm glad I don't have to fight you Doc." 'Raf said in relief. Kim nodded and turned to walk away, but stopped when 'Raf called out to her.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about having to do this." Kim nodded before disappearing upstairs.

'Raf sighed and turned to the three men with him. "I'll need some help with this." He said. "If you don't want to, it's alright." None of them walked away. He gave a sad smile. "Alright then."

Kim sat in a bathroom, shaking at what she had just done. It was against all she had worked for. She had willingly let her patients die. She felt tears in her eyes and she jumped when the first shot went off, followed by startled screams and six more shots. She fell to the floor and emptied the contents of her stomach in the toilet. When she was done, she stood up shakily and rinsed out her mouth. She stood in the bathroom for another ten minutes before walking out in the hall. She looked towards the stairs leading up to the next floor and saw 'Raf. He looked over at her and gave a sad smile before disappearing upstairs. He had blood on his hands.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Kentucky**_

_BANG!_

"Jason!" Hannah called out as he fell to the floor. There had been two shots in less than one second. The first was from Azi, who shot at the man holding the gun to Jason. The second was from said man, but the bullet missed Jason's chest and tore through his left shoulder. He gritted his teeth in pain as he fell to the floor. He looked at the man who had been holding a gun to him. He looked to be in his mid to late 40's. A pool of blood was quickly surrounding his head. Empty, lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling.

"Jason, are you alright?" Hannah asked, worry creeping into her voice.

"I'll… be fine. Right now we need to get out of here. Zombies are attracted to the scent of blood." Jason said as he held his hand over the bullet wound. "Help me up."

Hannah nodded and put an arm under his uninjured arm and the ex-marine to his feet. Jason picked up his Beretta RX4 Storm with his uninjured arm and headed towards the door. He was lucky he was hit in his left shoulder and not his right. He shot with his right arm. He looped his arm through the shoulder strap and pulled out his BAR Grizzly. He raised it up and cautiously walked out into the parking lot, followed by Malcolm and Trip, then Hannah, Tobias, and finally Azi. He spun as he heard a snarl to his right and fired. He was rewarded with the dull thud of a body.

"Let's go!" He called out quietly and stood halfway between the semi and the building. Malcolm and Trip rushed past him and jumped into the semi, followed by Hannah. As Tobias reached the truck however, over a dozen zombies came charging around the side of the building.

"Shit!" Jason swore and began firing. In an instant, Azi was at his side and together they quickly mowed down the undead. Jason turned to Azi. "Get in the truck; I'll be right behind you."

Azi nodded. "But I will be the one to drive. You need to get the bleeding to stop." Jason nodded and climbed in the passenger door while Azi ran around to the other side and climbed in. Jason quickly got in the back and put the table down, turning the bottom bunk back into a bed. He took off his jacket and shirt, exposing his chiseled chest and abs. He reached behind his injured shoulder and groaned when he didn't feel an exit wound.

"Damn it!" He swore again and received a glare from Hannah.

"I thought I asked you before not to swear?" She asked as she poured water from a water bottle on an extra shirt and began wiping the blood from his chest and shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry toots, but I'm not stopping any time soon." Jason replied.

Hannah sighed. "It was worth a try."

"Kudos for trying." Jason said, then hissed in pain as Hannah pressed too hard near the bullet hole. "Not so fucking hard!" He nearly shouted, startling Hannah.

"I'm sorry." She muttered and kept wiping away the blood. When she was done, she threw the bloodied shirt out the window.

"You should have kept that. Now you'll have to bloody up another shirt." Jason smirked.

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked.

"Well, I'm going to pull the bullet out. There's going to be a lot of blood." Jason explained as he dug through his jacket and pulled out a leatherman pocket knife. He ripped off a piece of his ruined shirt and stuffed it in his mouth. He then opened the leatherman up and clicked the pliers together a couple times before taking a deep breath and pushed the pliers into the bullet hole. He screamed in pain but kept pushing until he felt the pliers touch the metal of the bullet. He screamed again as he opened up the pliers and grabbed the bullet and started pulling. In less than a minute, Jason had pulled the bullet out. He looked up at a white-faced Hannah and Malcolm. He chuckled at their expressions.

"Well, that wasn't so hard." He said before passing out from the pain and blood loss.

Hannah was the first one to recover as she laid Jason flat on the bed and started wiping the blood off and washing the bullet hole. When she was done, she dug through Jason's jacket and found a roll of thread and a needle she saw him pick up back in Evergreen. She threaded the needle and began stitching up the wound. When she was done, she cleaned the wound one last time before wrapping it as best as she could. She sat back; emotionally exhausted from everything that had happened that day, and fell into a deep, blissful sleep.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Georgia**_

The sun shone through the large bay windows of the living room where 'Raf knelt, scrubbing the blood from the carpet. He felt dirty. He had killed those innocent people. But it was for the greater good, right? I mean, if he hadn't, then most, if not all of them in the mansion right now would probably be dead. Or worse. He kept scrubbing. He barely acknowledged anyone that tried to talk to him as he cleaned up the carpet.

"Serafino?" Kim asked softly as she walked over to the ex-Colonel. "Serafino, are you okay?"

'Raf ignored her. He had killed her patients. She had let him kill them and didn't even argue. That sickened him. He knew… he knew that it had to be done, but that didn't make it any better. That didn't make it right. It didn't make the guilt go away. It didn't make the horrified faces; the screams of terror go away. He had tried to sleep when his shift in the tower was over, but he would dream of those faces. Especially the face of the small boy who had been bitten in the arm. The boy was the first one to die, and 'Raf had pulled the trigger. He remembered the boy's face. He had given 'Raf a bright smile as 'Raf had walked in and he had hesitated for a split second, a stray tear rolling down his cheek, before raising his pistol. The boy's bright smile turned to a look of terror then 'Raf pulled the trigger. Chaos ensued after the first shot. The other injured people scrambled over each other as they tried to get away from the four men with guns pointed at them, only to be cut down.

Then Serafino Stanco, the proud Italian Air Force Colonel broke down. He dropped the bloodied scrub to the floor and collapsed next to the couch, crying. He hadn't cried since his mother and father died. _'What would they think of me now?' _He thought as he cried. He barely noticed when Kim crouched next to him and pulled him in and hugged him.

"It's not your fault." She whispered. "It had to happen, or else they would have turned and killed most, if not all of us. You, Marshall, Darren, and Jack saved all of us. You ensured our survival."

Those words calmed 'Raf down. He wiped away the tears and sniffed. "I bet I look pretty pathetic. A grown man crying."

Kim smiled and shook her head. "It's alright to cry every once and a while. It means you have a heart."

'Raf gave her a thankful smile before standing up. "We need to get a count of all the supplies we have. Medical supplies, food, water, guns and ammunition." 'Raf said, changing the subject. "Then we need to ration the food and water equally for at least two weeks."

Kim nodded. "I'll get Rhyaan to see how much food and water, and Charlie to see how many guns and how much ammunition."

'Raf smiled. "I'll get Jack, Darren, and Marshall to help me check out the vehicles. If any aren't in good condition, we'll salvage as many parts as we can." They nodded before heading off in different directions. Twenty minutes later, 'Raf was outside with Darren, Jack, and Marshall. They had the four Dobermans John, Paul, George, and Ringo with them.

"This U-Haul truck is no good." Jack informed the men.

"Can we salvage anything from it?" 'Raf asked.

"Probably. We can cut up the walls and use them to help cover up some of the windows on the ground floor. That should help in case any zombies actually get up here." Jack replied. "I can salvage most of the engine, but we'll only be able to use the parts on other trucks. Same thing goes for the fuel."

"Damn…" 'Raf muttered.

"Sorry boss, that's the best I can do." Jack said with a shrug.

"It's alright. And don't call my boss. I'm not in charge." 'Raf said with a touch of annoyance.

"Really? Because the way you were barking off orders when we showed up sure made it seem like it." Jack shrugged again.

"No, I'm not the boss. But now that there are so many people here, someone will have to be the boss." 'Raf told him.

"Well, I'll be voting for you as boss." Jack grinned.

"Me too!" Darren agreed with an identical grin.

"You seem like a nice feller, so I'd be votin' for ya." Marshall added. 'Raf rubbed his face and muttered under his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was to be in charge of a bunch of people who don't know how to follow orders.

"Whatever. I don't care if you vote for me, especially since you three would probably be the only ones." 'Raf admitted. "Now, let's get inside and talk to everyone.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"One vote for Nick Calhoon, three for me, seven for Marshall, one for Michael Conner, and eleven for 'Raf. Well, it looks like 'Raf is the new boss." Kim told the twenty three people in the living room. They had just finished voting on who was to be the leader.

"Are you kidding me?" Nick Calhoon spoke up. "That cripple is the leader?"

'Raf growled. "Be careful what you say, boy. I got this limp protecting my friend in Iraq."

"Who cares? You're just some washed up military officer. You'll probably end up running this place like a boot camp." Nick sneered.

"Even if I did, it looks like you could use it." 'Raf shot back.

"I demand a re-vote!" Nick demanded.

"Why? Everyone has already voted. The voted will end up the same." Kim informed the small man.

"I am within my rights to demand a re-vote!" Nick shouted.

"Alright, fine. I will hand out paper to all of you and you will write down the name of he person you want to be the new boss." Kim said and handed out the paper. Five minutes later she collected them and counted. "Well Nick, looks like you were right. The votes didn't end up the same." Nick smirked widely, then the smirk disappeared as Kim continued. "One vote for Nick, two for me, five for Marshall, and fifteen for 'Raf."

"What?! Why are you people voting for that cripple?! We need someone intelligent and strong to be leader!" Nick shouted.

"So in other words, not you." Don commented as he stood against the wall. Nick went red with fury but stayed quiet. "Alright, now it's official. 'Raf is the boss."

The people that voted for 'Raf cheered and 'Raf blushed slightly. He held up his hand and they quieted immediately.

"The first thing I was to do is to thank all of you who believe me capable of taking care of all of you." He gave a slight bow of the head. "Now, as the first order of business, we need to start keeping track of all the supplies, especially food, water, and ammunition. Second, anyone caught breaking the rules that will be made will be but in the basement of the tower for three days with minimal food and water. That's all for now."

He left the room and walked upstairs to the tower with Don, Kim, Jack, Darren, and Marshall. When they reached the top, they took seats on the floor or the large bed.

"The first thing I want to do is to organize patrols and shifts for here in the tower." 'Raf said. "I want to know whenever a person, living or dead, is approaching. The second thing we need to get done is to build a guard shack, but on this side of the gate. Any ideas?"

"Well, we need to start by collecting any and all materials we can." Don said. "That way we can actually build the shack, instead of thinking about it."

"But where are we going to get the materials?" Kim asked.

"There's a guard house down near the tree line. We can tear it down and use the wood for the guard tower." 'Raf explained.

"With all that done, we'll still be needin' a way to open the gate from the shack." Marshall added.

"From what I saw, there are several TV's and other electronics used for security down in the guard house." 'Raf informed the group.

"If there are enough wires, I could probably put together a remote to open the gate." Darren added his two cents.

"Speaking of electronics, isn't there a CB radio in the U-Haul?" Jack asked his brother.

"I believe so. If there is, I can throw together a short-ranged radio. Depending on the parts, I can get a maximum of fifty miles." Darren said.

'Raf was impressed. These guys knew their stuff. "Jack, instead of using the parts from the back of the U-Haul to cover the windows, do you think we could use it to enforce the guard shack or gate?" 'Raf asked.

Jack nodded. "I'm sure we can. I'll need the right tools though."

"Go check the garage for tools as soon as you can. If you can't find what you're looking for, we'll take _Chrissy _out for a drive and grab the tools."

"_Chrissy_?" Kim, Jack, Darren, and Marshall all asked in unison.

"That's the name of his H1 Hummer down in the garage." Don said with a smirk.

"You named your Hummer?" Kim asked 'Raf incredulously.

"Of course. Every good vehicle needs a name." 'Raf replied simply before getting back to business. "Kim, I need to know how much food we have and if we're able to ration it over two weeks. Don, you stay up here in the tower with Marshall. Two pairs of eyes are better than one. Jack and Darren, check the garage for tools. Now, you all have your assignments. This meeting is over." With that, 'Raf stood up and went down to his room to try and sleep.

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

_**Tennessee-Georgia Border**_

Jason slowly opened his eyes and saw Hannah asleep on the other side of the bed. He sat up and looked at his shoulder. He took off the bandages and saw that his shoulder was stitched up. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to see that it was very well done. He rewrapped his shoulder before standing up. He walked in the front of the cabin and knelt down next to the driver's seat.

"It is good to see you awake, Jason." Azi said with a small glance at Jason.

"I feel like I was trampled by a herd of buffalo." Jason commented as he scratched Trip behind the ear.

"You do not look so well either." The corners of Azi's mouth pulled upwards in a small smirk.

"I bet. I know for a fact I lost a lot of blood." Jason admitted. He nudged Tobias, who was asleep in the passenger seat. Tobias woke up, and upon seeing Jason stood up and sat down on the bed and fell back asleep.

"Did anything eventful happen while I was asleep?" Jason asked after several minutes.

"Nothing in particular. Hannah and Malcolm were both very worried about you."

"Why? I'm a virtual stranger to them."

"You saved them several times from certain death. That is bound to make an impression."

"Hn." There was several more minutes of silence. "Where are we going?" Jason asked.

Azi didn't reply, but handed him an atlas that was next to the drivers seat. Jason took it and was looking at a map of Georgia. There was a circle around a city called Milledgeville. The city was next to a large lake called Lake Sinclair.

"You know it's a bad idea to stay near large bodies of water, right?" Jason asked.

"Why is that?"

"Because, even though zombies can breath, they can't die. Therefore they can live underwater. A zombie can wander in a lake in the fall, and then the lake can freeze over, trapping the zombie underwater. Then when the ice thaws, the zombie can leave the lake and be free to wreak havoc."

"Then we will not stay near the lake for long."

"You are one crazy Egyptian."

"So I have been told many times."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Several hours later, Azi slowly pulled the truck up near a small lake house. The house was brown and had two stories. From what Jason could see, it had one bay window facing the lake. The front door was on the side of the house. Jason turned to look at the others in the cab.

"I'm going to go and clear the house with Azi and Trip. Tobias, you're staying here to watch after these two." He gestured to Hannah and Malcolm.

"Why are you taking Trip?" Malcolm asked sadly.

"Because he has a very sensitive nose, so he will be able to tell where in the house zombies are, if there are any." Jason explained, and then he ruffled Malcolm's hair. "Don't worry, we'll be coming back."

Malcolm smiled and nodded as Jason climbed slowly out of the semi, Trip jumping out after him. He had his Grizzly out as he looked around.

"It's all clear." He said quietly. Azi jumped to the ground next to him and then ran to the front door of the house. Azi watched the woods around the house as Jason slowly opened the door. Trip let out a low growl as Jason opened the door all the way and looked down the hall. Not seeing anything, he gestured for Azi to follow him. Trip walked ahead of Jason as he walked down the hall. He took out the mirror he brought with him and put it around the corner.

He walked around the corner and down towards the living room, but stopped when Trip started growling at the hall closet. Jason caught Azi's attention and pointed at the closet. Azi nodded and aimed his rifle. Jason grabbed the door handle and quickly opened it. There was a snarl followed by a gunshot. Jason spun around and fired when he heard rapid footsteps coming in his direction. There was a thud of a body and Jason looked down the hall and saw a young man no older than eighteen lying in a puddle of blood. He shook his head before continuing to the living room.

Thirty minutes and two more zombies later, the house was clear. Jason watched the woods as Tobias, Malcolm, and Hannah ran quickly to the house. Jason and Azi had taken the bodies outside and burned them.

"We'll be staying here for the next week." Jason informed the group. "We'd best get some clothes, ammo, and food out of the trailer.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


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